City of Manassas Community Emergency Response Team (CMCERT)

Description

The Department of Homeland Security administers the National Incident Management System (NIMS). Within this system, the Federal Emergency Management Agency coordinates Citizen Corps nationally to help coordinate volunteer activities that make communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to respond to emergency situations, which may include threats of crime, terrorism, and disasters of all kinds. CMCERT is organized under the general umbrella of the Prince William County Citizen Corps Council, and operates under the specific authority of the City of Manassas Fire and Rescue Department/Office of Emergency Management.

When deployed, CMCERT operates under the direction of the City of Manassas Office of Emergency Management (OEM), and performs Emergency Support Functions in accordance with the City of Manassas Emergency Operations Plan. CMCERT is unique among City responders in that it is designed and trained to operate independently for hours to several days should normal emergency response resources be unavailable. CMCERT may be utilized for various assignments, which include neighborhood, City or regional deployment.