City of Alexandria’s Office of Emergency Management Launches Teen CERT Program

Page updated on September 19, 2024 at 3:50 PM
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City of Alexandria’s Office of Emergency Management Launches Teen CERT Program

For Immediate Release: July 14, 2023

The Alexandria Fire Department’s Office of Emergency Management will launch its first ever Teen Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training this fall. CERT is a national program tailored to Alexandria that teaches community members how to prepare for disasters. Trained CERT volunteers make Alexandria more resilient and can be activated to support the City in emergency situations.

Established in 2003, the CERT program has been traditionally open to Alexandria residents, business owners and employees who are 18 years of age or older. Teen CERT is open to students attending public or private high schools in the City of Alexandria. Teen CERT will follow the same curriculum as the original CERT program, and participants will have the opportunity to hear from emergency response subject matter experts from various City agencies. Participants will also learn more about their community and preparedness efforts in Alexandria.

The Teen CERT application and instructions about how to register can be found at alexandriava.gov/CERT. The application process will be open until 5 p.m. Thursday, August 31. The training curriculum is comprised of approximately 24 hours of training over the course of seven weeks beginning Wednesday, September 6. The training schedule and locations are as follows:

Schedule

  • 4-6 p.m. Wednesdays, September 6 through October 25
  • 1-4 p.m. Sunday, September 17 and Sunday, October 8
  • 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, October 28 (final skills-based exercise)

Locations

  • Wednesday sessions: Alexandria City High School – Classroom TBD (3330 King St.)
  • Sunday, September 17: Emergency Operations Center (2003 Mill Rd.)
  • Sunday, October 8 and Saturday, October 28: Station 210 (5255 Eisenhower Ave.)

To learn more about CERT and to apply for the fall sessions of either the original CERT program or Teen CERT, visit alexandriava.gov/CERT. For additional information, contact Deputy Emergency Manager Kevin Coleman at kevin.coleman@alexandriava.gov.

For media inquiries only, contact Raytevia Evans, Senior Public Information Officer, at raytevia.evans@alexandriava.gov or (703) 746-5190.

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This news release is available at alexandriava.gov/go/4777.