The City of Highland Park has a Citizen Corps Council under the guidance of FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security, that is maintained by the Highland Park Police Department. One of the Goals of the Council is to identify groups and individuals that will assist themselves, their neighbors, and the city in the event of a disaster.

The Council has a training program for Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT). This training program was first developed on a national scale by FEMA and is now administered here in Illinois by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

In the event of a major disaster in the Highland Park area, the police and fire department will have to prioritize their first-response services to areas most seriously damaged. Emergency services such as law enforcement, fire and medical services to other areas might be delayed for hours or days, depending on the magnitude of the disaster. The CERT program was originally developed to train individuals to help themselves and their neighbors during this void. Later, the program was expanded, so that these trained volunteers could assist the first responders during the disaster.

The CERT program involves training in Disaster Preparedness, Fire Safety and Suppression, Disaster Medical Operations (triage, emergency first aid and hygiene), light search and rescue, Team Organization, Disaster Psychology, Victim Extraction, and Basics of Terrorism. The training takes place locally in Highland Park and is taught by IEMA-certified instructors and professional first responders. Training takes 16-20 hours, part of which may be completed by independent study on-line at FEMA's Emergency Management Institute. The relevant course is IS 317. The remainder of the training is hands-on exercises in disaster skills.

In the event of a call-out, CERT-trained volunteers will work under the direction of the Police Department. The Department will supply equipment and communications for CERT missions. CERTs may also be used to assist the police and fire department for any large gathering here in Highland Park.

After training is completed, CERTS will be asked to meet occasionally for refresher training and updates on doctrine. If you are interested in volunteering or simply finding out more about the program, please email the CERT Coordinator or call (847) 926-1114.