Fairfax County CERT RANKS
Ranks for 2022 and Beyond
**This page is currently under Construction**
Effective February 15, 2022, the following qualifications are required to successfully meet the requirements of each Rank. All Volunteer hours need to be documented in the Fairfax County Volunteer Management System (VMS) - https://volunteer.fairfaxcounty.gov
RANK - Trained
REQUIREMENTS
Qualification for CERT Rank Trained is accomplished by successful completion of one of the following options.
Option 1: Traditional
1.1 Completion of the online FEMA IS-317 Introduction to Community Emergency Response Team. This course is required as a prerequisite to attending the CERT Basic Training (8 sessions).
(CERT Basic Online Course (University of Utah Health CERT course certificate) may be substituted.)
1.2. Completion of all sessions of the Fairfax County CERT Basic Training (8 sessions)
Option 2: Hybrid
1.1. Completion of all the modules in the Fairfax County CERT Basic Training hybrid course;
CERT Basic Online course certificate: University of Utah Health.
(FEMA IS-317 course is not required if you are submitting this option.)
CERT Basic Skills course (5 sessions)
Option 3: Transfers
1.1. A CERT volunteer trained in other jurisdictions will be considered for acceptance following a brief interview, upon completion of any additional training requirements, and approval of the Volunteer Program Lead and the Training Division Head.
a. Transferees must provide evidence of training and graduation from another jurisdiction (e.g., FEMA IS-317 certificate, CERT Basic Course certificate).
b. Following an interview with the Volunteer Program Lead and Training Division Head, transferees may be required to:
Attend all, or portions, of the CERT Basic Skills Course including any of the following sessions as determined by Director, Training Division or a Lead Instructor and the Volunteer Lead.
5-session course: Session order may vary; CERT Org, Med I, Med II, LSAR, Final Exercise
8-session course: Session order may vary; CERT Org, Med I, Med II, LSAR, Skills Practice, Final Exercise, or
1.2. Meet with a qualified CERT Instructor to review and discuss the Fairfax County and National Capital Region, Council of Governments (NCR COG) protocols provided in the Fairfax County Basic Training Student Handout.
NOTES:
“Certificate provided” or “Certificate presented” means the document has been uploaded into the individual's Fairfax County VMS account profile.
“Date Completed” refers to the date the individual completed a course.
rank - Active
REQUIREMENTS
Qualifications required for CERT Rank Trained plus the following:
2.1. Maintain participation in one (or more) Fairfax County CERT Neighborhood Teams.
2.2 Participate in at least two Fairfax County CERT activities per year (e.g., class finals, master exercises or other sanctioned neighborhood exercises, meetings, or events). Qualifying neighborhood exercises or community engagement events shall be approved by the Operations Division Head or Volunteer Lead.
2.3. Attend a minimum of three (3) Fairfax County CERT monthly program meetings per year.
2.4. Volunteer Hours: Must meet the annual training and participation requirements to maintain this CERT Rank.
75 Volunteer Hours per year shall be documented in VMS: up to 35 hours for Training with the remaining 40 hours in Operations, Community Engagement, Training Support or other CERT activities. (Additional training hours can be documented but are not counted toward this participation requirement.) If not maintained annually as required, after review, an individual’s Rank may be shifted down to the previous lower Rank without additional notice.
2.5. Completion of online FEMA IS-100b Introduction to Incident Command System
2.6. Completion of online FEMA IS-700 National Incident Management System - An Introduction
2.7. Maintain AHA CPR/AED and as evidenced by a current Completion certificate on file in VMS.
Date on Certificate must show at least six (6) months remaining to qualify. Renew every two (2) years.
2.8. Completion of CERT Community Assessment Program (current version). Renew every two (2) years.
2.9. Completion of Infectious Control and Blood Bourne Pathogens_
2.10. Completion of the following CERT Continuing Education classes:
a. CERT Traffic and Crowd Management
b. CERT Emergency Communications
CERT Intro to Hazardous Materials
(May be substituted by FEMA IS-5 Intro to Hazardous Materials)
2.11. Completion of a criminal background check administered by Fairfax County Human Resources. Contact CERT Program Manager – Fire Department Office of Volunteer Liaison for instructions.
2.12. Approval by CERT Program Manager
2.13. A Fairfax County CERT ID card will be issued when all the requirements have been met, and the application has been submitted and approved by the CERT Program Manager. The ID Card is valid for three (3) years and may be utilized for deployment.
All requests for reasonable accommodations will be considered to meet these requirements.
rank - Advanced
REQUIREMENTS
Qualifications required by CERT Active plus the following:
3.1. Serve on the General Staff for an event or in a leadership role for two Fairfax County events per year (one may be Community Engagement). General staff assignments include Incident Command, Accountability, Operations, Medical Branch Supervisor or Medical Accountability, or an independent Division or Task Force Team Leader.
Qualifying events include an Operations Incident Command, CERT Basic Training Final Exercise, Master Exercise, Community Engagement Lead (only one), or Lead Instructor for a training course.
3.2. Attend a minimum of four (4) Fairfax County CERT monthly program meetings over the last year.
3.3. Volunteer Hours: Must meet the following annual training and participation requirements to achieve and maintain this CERT Rank.
75 Volunteer hours per year shall be documented in VMS: up to 35 hours for Training with the remaining 40 hours in Operations, Community Engagement, Training Support or other CERT activities. (Additional training hours can be documented but are not counted toward this participation requirement.) If not maintained annually as required, after review, an individual’s Rank may be shifted down to the previous lower Rank without additional notice.
3.4. Completion of the FEMA IS-200 Incident Command System and certificate provided.
3.5. Completion of the FEMA IS-800 National Response Framework, An Introduction.
3.6. CERT First Aid. Renew every three (3) years.
3.7. Completion of the following Fairfax County CERT Continuing Education (CCE) classes:
a. Tools for CERT Leadership Success
b. CERT Incident Management
c. Until Help Arrives
3.8. Approval by CERT Program Manager
All requests for reasonable accommodations will be considered to meet these requirements.
Ranks for 2021 and BeFORE
Level 1 - Trained
Complete all the modules in the Fairfax County CERT class, either at the F&E Academy or at another venue within Fairfax County.
FEMA IS-317 Introduction to Community Emergency Response Teams
CERTs from other jurisdictions may be accepted upon unanimous approval of the Volunteer Program Lead, the Community Lead Instructor, and the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue CERT Program Lead Instructor. Specific classes maybe required.
Level 2 - Active
Participation in CERT Teams
FEMA IS-100 Introduction to Incident Command
FEMA IS-700 National Incident Command System, an Introduction
≥ 2 Fairfax County CERT exercises per year, e.g. class final, master exercise or other sanctioned exercise
Positive Background check administered by Fairfax County
≥ 3 Fairfax County CERT monthly program meetings per year
Current CPR and Basic First Aid certification
CERT Community Assessment Training (CAP; Formerly "Windshield Survey") - exceptions can be made for those without smart phones
Hostile Environments First Aid class
Any Blood Bourne Pathogen or Infectious Control class
ID card will be issued when all the requirements have been met, and is valid for three years. Can be utilized for deployment.
Level 3 - Advanced
FEMA IS-200 Incident Command System
CERT Hazardous Materials continuing education class
CERT Traffic and Crowd Management continuing education class
CERT Emergency Communications continuing education class
CERT Leadership continuing education class
CERT Incident Commander continuing education class
IC of 2 events per year (one may be Outreach)
Attend ≥ 4 monthly program meetings per year
≥ 2 continuing education classes per year
ID card will be updated when all the requirements have been met, and is valid for three years. Can be utilized at the EOC after completion of WebEOC training.