Is this checklist a substitute for CERT training?

No. It organizes what training covers and prompts the drills that keep skills alive. Hands-on training through a local CERT program is still required before serving in the field.

How often should we walk the checklist?

Twice a year as a team, plus one full disaster simulation per year. Unit 9's lesson is that the drill finds the gaps the checklist cannot predict, so update the page with what the simulation exposes.

Who should keep a copy?

Every trained household and every team member. Print it, because the power grid and cell networks are exactly what a disaster takes out first, and a paper page keeps working.

Oct 10, 2026

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The CERT Readiness Checklist

By The SHTF App Team

Nine units of training are worthless as a memory and priceless as a page. Unit 9 of the CERT Basic Training course closes with a review and a disaster simulation, and the review’s lesson is the one this checklist borrows: under stress you fall back on what you rehearsed, not what you read once. Print this page, walk it with your team, and re-run it every six months.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical, legal, or emergency-response advice. CERT skills require hands-on training through your local program. In a real emergency, call 911 first.

Next Steps

Re-run the Readiness Audit. Scroll back to the top, answer the three questions honestly, and close whichever gap they reveal before you close this tab.
Print the checklist. The kit list above only works if it exists when the power is out, so paper beats apps here.
Fold it into the family plan. A prepared household beats prepared person, so put these steps in front of everyone who shares your roof.

Mission 1: Household and kit readiness (Unit 1)

Water stored: at least 1 gallon per person per day, 3-day minimum (3 quarts drinking, 1 quart food prep and sanitation).
Water purification method known: rolling boil for 1 minute or purification tablets.
Wrench and pliers staged at gas and water shutoffs, practiced in the dark.
Small ABC-type fire extinguisher in the kitchen, tested.
Whistle, signal flare, landline phone (if copper service), and local maps in the kit.
Sanitation supplies: chlorine bleach, disinfectant, garbage bags, towelettes.
Safe room versus shelter-in-place decision made for each household hazard.
Family plan written: evacuation routes, meeting places, out-of-area contact.

Mission 2: Team organization (Unit 2)

Neighborhood staging area identified and walked.
Reporting chain known: volunteers report to the Team Leader, the TL reports to the first fire or law enforcement official on scene.
CERT Damage Assessment Forms printed and stored with the kit.
Five ICS functions (Operations, Intelligence/Investigations, Planning, Logistics, Finance/Administration) understood by at least two neighbors.
Backup communications (ham radio or similar) identified and tested.

Mission 3: Medical readiness (Units 3 and 4)

Pressure dressings, bandages, nitrile gloves, and a commercial tourniquet in the kit.
Four bleeding stages memorized: under 15 percent looks normal, 15 to 30 percent agitated, 30 to 40 percent confused (Stage 3), above 40 percent irreversible.
Jaw-thrust maneuver learned from a certified first aid course.
DCAP-BTLS assessment card printed (Deformities, Contusions, Abrasions, Punctures, Burns, Tenderness, Lacerations, Swelling).
Treatment area pre-plan: location, separated survivor areas, separated morgue area.
Consent rules known: conscious patients are asked, unconscious patients fall under implied consent, parents consent for children.

Mission 4: Psychology and fire safety (Units 5 and 6)

Team briefing habit established: expected scenes and expected emotional responses covered before every incident.
Rotation plan written: high-stress to low-stress jobs, breaks away from the incident area.
Post-shift debrief held after every significant operation.
Personal baseline maintained: sleep, exercise, balanced diet, connection.
Fire classes known: A (ordinary combustibles), B (flammable liquids, vapor burns), C (energized electrical).
P.A.S.S. drilled: Pull and test, Aim at the base, Squeeze, Sweep.
Suppression rules internalized: buddy system, backup team, two ways out, look at the door.
Natural gas and CO detectors on every level, tested monthly, near gas appliances.

Mission 5: Rescue and awareness (Units 7 and 8)

Nine-step size-up card in the go-kit, with step 5 as the gate: can we attempt this safely? If no, do not attempt.
Cribbing lumber (4x4 sections) and a pry lever staged.
Six-sides search rule known: every interior space has six sides including floor and ceiling.
Survivor removal options known: self-removal or assist first, then lifts and drags.
Eight signs of terrorism known: surveillance, elicitation, tests of security, funding, acquiring supplies, impersonation, rehearsal and dry runs, deployment.
FBI SAR tip line (tips.fbi.gov) and local law enforcement numbers saved in every phone.
Shelter room pre-planned: duct tape, plastic sheeting, battery or crank radio for EAS broadcasts.
Run, Hide, Fight family conversation held.

Final step: The simulation

Walk the whole checklist with your team in one session, twice a year.
Run a 30-minute disaster simulation: one hazard, one staging area, one Damage Assessment Form completed for real.
Update the checklist with what the simulation exposed, because Unit 9’s lesson is that the drill finds the gaps.

Scenario planner (contingencies)

“We trained once, years ago.” The trap: skills decay faster than certificates expire. The fix: the twice-yearly checklist walk plus one simulation per year keeps the nine units load-bearing.

“Nobody on the street wants to train.” The trap: waiting for consensus before building capability. The fix: the CERT model starts with individuals who can act safely alone, then team up. Be the first trained household and let the simulation invite the neighbors.