Connecticut State Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security

Citizen Corps Program in Connecticut

The Citizen Corps Program (CCP) is an umbrella program for multiple sub-programs including Community Emergency Response Teams, the Medical Reserve Corps, Fire Corps and Neighborhood Watch. Connecticut uses Homeland Security Grant Funding (Through the Statewide Citizen Corps Sub-program) to fund Community Emergency Response Teams across the state.

The Statewide Citizen Corps Advisory Council is the governing body for the Citizen Corps Program in Connecticut and meets bi-monthly to develop policy recommendations to DEMHS senior leadership and the DEMHS Advisory Council. As of May of 2018, there are approximately 100 active CCP teams across the state including CCP, MRC and Fire Corps, representing 4,250 active members.

Community Emergency Response Teams

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue and team organization. Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event based on the training they have received. CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community.

Find a local CERT team by clicking here.

CERT Resources

Medical Reserve Corps

The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is a national network of local groups of volunteers engaging the local communities to strengthen public health, reduce vulnerability, build resilience, and improve preparedness, response and recovery capabilities. The MRC network comprises nearly 1,000 community-based units and almost 20,000 volunteers located throughout the United States and its territories. Connecticut has 23 MRC units, grouped into the five ESF-8 regions of the state.  

MRC volunteers include medical and public health professionals, as well as other community members without healthcare backgrounds. MRC units engage these volunteers, as well as local and state-level partners, to strengthen public health, improve emergency response capabilities, and build community resiliency. They prepare for and respond to natural disasters, such as wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, and floods, as well as other emergencies affecting public health, like disease outbreaks.

At the federal level, MRC is supported by the Medical Reserve Corps program, the national office of the MRC housed within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In Connecticut, the Department of Public Health's Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, working in conjunction with the Connecticut Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, serves as the state MRC coordinator.

MRC Resources