The South Lake County CERT team is one of the largest, most active, and best equipped CERT teams in Illinois. Our diverse team of 85 community service minded members is always looking for new citizens over the age of 18.  Would you like to contribute your skills, and learn valuable new skills to help protect yourself, your family and your community?  We invite you to learn more about SLCR CERT and how you can contribute your skills and energy to our local communities.

New Member classes are a mix of lectures, discussion, and hands-on practice to develop skills and confidence. Each class is taught by a subject matter expert, and our senior CERT team instructors and members support your learning during hands-on practice sessions.

We cover a chapter of the CERT training at each meeting, building upon and reinforcing the concepts and materials from prior classes. 

Most class sessions will be held evenings from 7-10 pm at the 

Lake Zurich Fire Department Station #1, 321 S. Buesching Road, Lake Zurich, IL 60047

SLCRCERT provides students with required personal protective equipment (gloves, goggles, mask, helmet) and supplies (bandages, dressings, flashlight and other tools) utilized during the training.

Upon graduation, you can (optionally) join the all-volunteer SLCR CERT and help support our communities – at a wide variety of scheduled community service events, and/or in support of emergency events to assist our local police, fire, EMS, and public works departments in Lake Zurich, Long Grove, Hawthorn Woods, Kildeer, Deer Park, and unincorporated Ela Township. You do not need to be a resident of these communities to be a member.   Team members receive on-going training – recent topics include: Stop the Bleed, Mental Health First Aid, Active Assailant, Disaster Assessment workshop, Autism, Alzheimer's,  Spontaneous Volunteers, Advanced Search and Rescue, and Traffic Management Strategies.

Examples of SLCR CERT providing emergency support activities include:

• emergency radio communications equipment and services

• traffic management for fires, vehicle and train incidents, downed power and utility lines, power and traffic signal outages, and natural gas leaks

• off-road transportation for first responders and residents during emergencies

• rehab trailer delivery, equipment setup, and support of firefighter rehabilitation

• support and scene protection at structure and field fires 

• incident scene lighting 

• setup and operate heating and cooling shelters for first responders and residents

• clearing of trees/branches/debris from roads to enable emergency vehicle access

• conduct storm or incident related damage assessment 

• assist with flood related incidents; assessment, resident notification, sandbagging, constructing levees, pumping

• conduct and/or manage search and rescue (SAR) for missing persons and evidence, and provide SAR logistical support (communications, team transport, off-road transport and containment, traffic, parking, security, lighting, etc.)

• assist in facility and resident evacuations

• assist with train related issues, accidents, derailments

• support the operation of the Emergency Operations Center

• staffing of a multi-agency Resource Center (MARC) or Family Assistance Center (FAC)

For more information about joining our team and training class schedules,
please contact our Training Section Chief: Training@SLCRCert.org