The Whatcom County Sheriff's Office is using National Volunteer Week to shine a light on the community volunteers who quietly form the backbone of the county's emergency preparedness network. Kicking things off this week is a recognition of the county's Community Emergency Response Team, known as CERT, a group of trained civilian volunteers who can be deployed to assist professional responders during disasters and large-scale emergencies.
National Volunteer Week, observed annually in April, is a time for organizations across the country to thank the people who give their time without compensation to strengthen communities. For the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office and its Division of Emergency Management, that recognition is especially meaningful given how much of the county's preparedness infrastructure depends on volunteers.
CERT teams are a national program, but Whatcom County's version is locally managed through the Whatcom Ready program, the county's public preparedness initiative. CERT volunteers receive training in basic disaster response skills including fire suppression, first aid, light search and rescue, and disaster medical operations. They serve as a force multiplier for professional emergency responders during events that overwhelm standard capacities, such as the December 2025 flooding that prompted a Federal Disaster Declaration for the region.
Whatcom County's geography makes volunteer preparedness particularly critical. The county spans from the San Juan Islands in the west to the North Cascades in the east, with communities ranging from dense urban neighborhoods in Bellingham to rural stretches near Sumas, Everson, and Nooksack where professional emergency response times can be significantly longer. In those areas, a trained neighbor with CERT skills can make an enormous difference in the minutes before a fire engine or ambulance arrives.
The Sheriff's Office noted with some good humor that it was "off to a late start" in honoring its volunteers this week, adding that "fortunately our friends at CERT are never late." It's the kind of light acknowledgment that speaks to the reliability these volunteers are known for in the local emergency management community.
The county plans to recognize additional volunteer groups throughout the week. Previous years have included recognition for the Whatcom County Amateur Radio Emergency Services team, Search and Rescue volunteers, and community members who participate in the Whatcom County Sheriff's volunteer citizen programs.
For residents interested in joining CERT or learning more about emergency preparedness in Whatcom County, the WhatcomReady.org website is the primary resource. It includes information on how to sign up for emergency alerts, how to prepare a household emergency kit, and how to get involved with local preparedness programs including CERT training sessions, which are offered periodically throughout the year.
Volunteering with CERT requires no prior emergency response experience. Training is provided free of charge, and participants can serve at whatever level their time and availability allow, from attending occasional activations to being on-call for larger deployments.
