The CERT concept was developed and implemented by the Los Angeles City Fire Department in 1985. The Whittier Narrows earthquake in 1987 underscored the area-wide threat of a major disaster in California. Further, it confirmed the need for training civilians to meet their immediate needs.

CERT became a national program in 1993. There are now CERT programs in all 50 states, including many tribal nations and U.S. territories. Each is unique to its community and all are essential to building a Culture of Preparedness in the United States. There are over 2,700 local CERT programs nationwide and more than 600,000 people have trained since CERT became a national program.

The Clay County, West Virginia Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is part of the national Citizen Corps effort to incorporate and utilize volunteers in the community. Citizen Corps is endorsed by the President and the Department of Homeland Security. Clay County CERT trains volunteers in basic response techniques in order to assist local citizens and first responders in disaster or emergency situations.

Following its inception the leaders of Clay County CERT devised a structure that would expand on what the LAFD intended. As authorized by FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security, and the State of West Virginia, Clay County CERT developed divisions of the core organization to fill the gaps it reached and meet the needs of the community it served. Now as we have served our community for nearly half a decade, Clay County CERT has developed and established four divisions including the Education & Outreach Division, Volunteer Services Division, Teen & Youth Division, and the Operations & Administrative Division which all have their own sub-entities allowing for the more efficient and effective execution of service.

Clay County CERT is an organization sponsored by Clay Volunteer Fire Department, comprising four divisions with subsequent offices, centers, bureaus, and teams. Each division has a coordinator with an organized reporting chain that is headed by the directors of Clay County CERT who report to the State Coordinator who is employed by, VolunteerWV, the state commission on volunteerism.

Clay County CERT's mission is doing the greatest good for the greatest number: before, during, and after a disaster.

Our mission is accomplished by providing a whole community effort to plan, prepare, respond, recover, and mitigate disasters while easing the associated impacts on area residents and first responders. Clay County CERT will utilize and serve a diverse and inclusive group of partners, volunteers, and leaders while ensuring service across all sectors of our community.

Approaching disasters in a way that calls for the support of volunteers, Clay County CERT strives to leave a lasting impact on the past, present, and future of disaster coordination in the communities we serve.

Clay County CERT's core values of reliability, efficiency, commitment, honesty, transparency, and respect serve as the solid foundation of what our organization, volunteers, and leadership stand for and believe make a resource our community members can rely on in times of despair. The people of our community who make up Clay County CERT will use, apply, and uphold these values in all interactions with survivors, peers, and partners.