The Town of Glen Alpine is the first community in Burke County, North Carolina, to train and establish a Community Emergency Response Team. Under the leadership of Fire Chief Jerry Causby,  C.E.R.T. training was held in the fall of 1999, under the auspices of the Glen Alpine Fire Department.

If available, emergency services personnel are the best trained and equipped to handle emergencies and you should not hesitate to use them. However, following a catastrophic disaster, you and the community may be on your own for a period of time because of the size of the area affected, lost communications, and unpassable roads.

CERT Training is designed to prepare you to help yourself, your family, and your neighbors in the event of a catastrophic disaster. Because emergency services personnel will not be able to help everyone immediately, you can make a difference by using the training in this program to save lives and protect property.

The CERT training covers basic skills that are important to know in a disaster when emergency services are not available, You will want to help. With training and practice and by working as a team, you will be able to do the greatest good for the greatest number after a disaster, while protecting yourself from becoming a victim.

A "CERT", Community Emergency Response Team, is a group of people that is organized and receives special training that enhances their ability to recognize, respond to, and recover from a major emergency or disaster situation. They are organized under the leadership of the local jurisdiction. They are trained by emergency responders and emergency management personnel in areas that will help them take care of themselves and others before, during and after a major emergency. As an organized team, they can provide vital services in the absence of emergency responders, whose arrival may be delayed due to the scope of the event. When a major emergency overwhelms normally available resources, response delays of hours or even days may occur; someone with "basic skills training" should be able to immediately assist those in distress.