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City proposes district‑based CERT program to train volunteers for disasters and neighborhood support
Summary
Emergency management coordinator John Lukancic outlined a plan to create five Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) — one per council district — using FEMA curriculum plus a four‑week, Joliet‑specific supplement.
John Lukancic, Joliet’s emergency management coordinator, presented a proposal on Jan. 21 to establish Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) across the city, with one team per council district.
Lukancic described CERT as a volunteer program that recruits and trains residents to assist their neighborhoods during disasters and support existing city programs and events. He said CERT began as a Los Angeles Fire Department initiative in the 1980s, later adopted by FEMA, and that there are more than 3,000 CERT teams nationwide. The proposed Joliet program would deliver the FEMA 8‑week curriculum plus a four‑week local module tailored to Joliet needs, including CPR/AED, first aid, “stop the bleeding,” weather spotting, utility shutoffs and local procedures.
Lukancic said membership would be limited to Joliet residents age 18 and older with a valid ID, a basic criminal background check and an attestation regarding felony convictions or required offender registration. He proposed training sessions of three hours once a week for 12 weeks for the pilot class, with the eventual goal of hybrid online/practical training for scalability. He also proposed that each council member, the mayor and the city manager be able to select up to two people for initial leadership roles in the program.
Lukancic said trained CERT volunteers could help with emergency response support roles, senior snow removal, special events, vaccination or clinic support, and the city’s emergency operations center. He emphasized that CERT members would not replace professional responders but would supplement them.
Why it matters
The program is intended to build neighborhood resilience, expand volunteer capacity for both planned events and emergencies, and create cross‑district networks of trained residents who can assist neighbors and city operations.
Next steps
Lukancic asked council for support to recruit volunteers and to pilot the program. No formal vote was recorded; council members expressed enthusiasm, and one member said there was already “buzz in the neighborhoods.” Staff will return with details for program rollout and scheduling.
