CERT West Hartford CT

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CERT West Hartford CT

CERT is an integral part of the Town’s Office of Emergency Management.

11/18/2025

On Sunday, November 16, 2025, twenty-four residents graduated from the West Hartford Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Basic Training program. CERT teams from North Granby, East Windsor, and Southington also participated in the training, helping to strengthen regional relationships that can be used during disasters.

This engaging and comprehensive course, spanning more than 20 hours, provided participants with vital emergency preparedness skills in areas such as Disaster Preparedness, Emergency First Aid, CERT Organization, Light Search and Rescue, Disaster Psychology, Terrorism Awareness, Fire Safety, and Sheltering Operations.
During hands-on training, participants participated in practical exercises—extinguishing live fires, conducting search-and-rescue drills, and practicing emergency medical care. The Town.

Additionally, the Town received a $1,600 grant from the CT Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS), administered through the Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG), for training equipment and supplies for the course.

The CERT program is a volunteer program administered by the West Hartford Office of Emergency Management under the direction of Fire Chief Greg Priest, Emergency Management Director, that empowers residents to assist their families, neighbors, and the broader community during emergencies when first responders may be delayed. CERT volunteers also support town-wide events and emergency situations, helping to ease the burden on professional responders.

Since its inception in Spring 2021, the West Hartford CERT program has trained over 350 residents and contributed more than 12,000 hours of volunteer service to the community. The team meets monthly at the Elmwood Community Center to maintain their skills and readiness.

The next CERT training class is scheduled for Spring 2026 and will be held on Wednesday evenings. The training is free and open to all residents aged 18 and older.
For more information about the CERT program, please visit https://www.westhartfordct.gov/cert or email OEM@westhartfordct.gov

09/12/2025

The West Hartford Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is looking for new volunteers to join its ranks this fall. The next Basic Training Class kicks off on Saturday, October 11, 2025, and will run for six consecutive weekends.

The 20-hour course is designed to equip residents with essential emergency skills, including disaster preparedness, first aid, disaster psychology, animal sheltering, fire safety, and terrorism awareness. Participants will learn directly from public safety professionals.

Graduates receive a CERT backpack with emergency equipment and a certificate of completion from the Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security.

“CERT volunteers are neighbors helping neighbors. They play a vital role in making West Hartford more resilient in the face of emergencies and large-scale events,” said Fire Chief Greg Priest, who directs the program.

Since its creation, more than 330 residents have participated in the training. Last year alone, volunteers contributed over 2,000 hours of service — assisting at vaccination clinics, parades, Celebrate West Hartford, mask distributions, and the Food Pantry.

Who Can Join:

Must be at least 18 years old
Must live, work, or attend school in West Hartford
No minimum activity requirements — volunteers serve when available and as interested
Limited Enrollment

The fall training is limited to the first 30 residents who sign up.

Apply now: CERT Team Application: https://westhartford.seamlessdocs.com/ng/fa/certapplication

05/28/2025

Thank you to our West Hartford CERT team for guiding over 2500 parade participants along the parade route and marching in the CERT contingent on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26, 2025.

05/21/2025

On Sunday, May 18, 2025, the West Hartford Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) graduated 35 residents from its most recent Basic Training program! The class contained CERT members from West Hartford, Hartford, East Hartford, and Manchester. We were assisted by the Manchester CERT team, the Disaster Behavioral Health Response Network (DBHRN), which provided trainers for two of the sessions, and the West Hartford Fire Department. Since its inception in Spring 2021, the West Hartford CERT program has trained over 330 residents and contributed more than 10,000 hours of volunteer service to the community.

04/28/2025

April Team Meeting Recap
Thank you to everyone who attended the April monthly meeting. We had an excellent presentation from Firefighter/Paramedic David Noyes on the new Tactical Paramedic Program, which is conducted in coordination with the West Hartford Police Department's Emergency Services Unit.

CERT Leader Bob Hilborn gave CERT members a valuable CPR/AED refresher. We had a great turnout for this very informative session!

04/28/2025

Earth Day, thanks!
A big thank-you to Anne Hogeland, Allie McConnell, Elizabeth Rocco, Barbara Collins, and Karen Crosby for their help during our Earth Day event last week! The group did a fantastic job distributing information and signing up residents for the new food scrap recycling program at our two senior centers. This is a critical step in reducing food waste from our trash stream—thank you for making it a success!

04/05/2025

Today, West Hartford CERT hosted a Psychological First Aid training presented to team members from area teams and town and community agencies.
Pychological First Aid (PFA) is a humane, supportive, and practical approach to help individuals in the immediate aftermath of a disaster or traumatic event, focusing on promoting natural recovery by fostering a sense of safety, calmness, connectedness, and hope.

04/04/2025

A big thank you to Bill O’Connor, Bob Ludwig, Tom Lowe, Gordon MacKenzie, Frank Booth, and Dallas Dodge for helping us move our Host Community Equipment from 100 Mayflower Street to a new storage location on Oakwood Ave. The team was able to complete the move in under 3 hours. Great job! Check out the photo of the team below.

While we were busy with the move, we also want to thank another group of CERT members who were unloading the delivery to the Food Pantry at Town Hall. Thank you to Caley Fagan, Cynthia Retallick, John Kauczka, David Bergmann, and Peter Decoteau for helping out with this. Suzanne Oslander from Social Services reached out to me to say what a great job and big help you were! Nice job, team!

04/04/2025

Our CERT Basic Training Class (Cohort 9) had their first class last night on April 2, 2025. It is a great group of new CERT members which also included team members from the Hartford and Manchester. We currently have 38 folks signed up for the class! Check out the pictures of the class in action as they attempt to build the tallest Marshmallow Tower

04/01/2025

Join us for National Drug Take back Day on Saturday, April 26 from 10-2 at Town Hall parking lot. Bring all unwanted and expired medication and visit our touch a truck, information tables, learn how to use Narcan and receive free Narcan, and walk through the Hidden in Plain Sight trailer which gives adults in the community a better understanding of how to identify drugs, including vapes and paraphernalia that are often "hidden in plain sight". Hope to see you on the 26th!

03/24/2025

Attention parents and community members !
Free 3 part series for Teens starts on Weds in partnership with West Hartford Prevention Partnership Jewish Family Services of Greater Hartford West Hartford Public Library

Space is limited ! This is a free event . Students will receive certificate and lots of great information ! Must attend all 3 sessions on Wednesdays after school at the Noah Webster Library from2-4pm

Teen Mental Health First Aid teaches high school students, how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among their friends and peers. Adolescence is a time of critical change and development, and the time when mental health challenges may first emerge. Those challenges may be the cause for falling grades, problems with close relationships and substance use.
Teens who attend this training series will learn to provide support to their peers, better cope with their own mental health challenges, and know to a when and how to get assistance from a trusted adult.

Register here

01/29/2025

FREE EVENT-West Hartford

Did you know that students spend up to 6.5 hours a DAY on screens?

Boys spend on average the equivalent of 1.5 days on VIDEO games per week?

Some studies show that screen time increases dopamine production and causes behavior that mimics addiction.

Join us for a FREE Screenagers :Growing Up in the Digital Age movie on February 11th at Sedgwick Midfle School. Let's continue the discussion on how screens , video games, social media and risk of addiction all tie in with cellphones and access.

Free childcare for ages 4 and up

Take home resources

Hear what teens have to say

Learn how you can learn strategies to help set limits on screen time

For more info and to secure your seat at this event

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfiGRfwgFPd5PMgggijhNqU6rbuZfU7KR1lJwGBHyAe_HIPZw/viewform

Address

95 Raymond Road
West Hartford, CT
06107

Telephone

+18605618310

Website

https://www.westhartfordct.gov/cert

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