The North County Community Emergency Response Team (NC CERT) is a growing group of volunteers local to the Arlington/Stanwood area who have received FEMA-approved hands-on training to help our families, neighbors, and communities in the event of a disaster. The North County Regional Fire Authority sponsors NC CERT. When disasters occur, professional first responders are not the first on the scene. If access is obstructed or the agency’s capacity is exceeded, it may be hours — or days — before professional help arrives. In this environment, non-professional members of the public spontaneously reach out to help those affected. Without information and training, however, spontaneous assistance can sometimes fail to meet its objectives. Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) programs support and direct post-disaster public energy to ensure that non-professional response is as safe and effective as possible. This FEMA-backed training course is one of the few federal programs created under Citizen Corps that provides training to the general public to prepare for disasters and assist in recovery after a disaster. The program gives volunteers the confidence to help others by learning disaster preparedness, assessing building safety after a natural disaster, search and rescue, fire suppression, medical triage, first-aid, and team organization.