Register for the Campus Emergency Response Training program today
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 20, 2025) — Have you wondered what you can do to help the campus community before, during and after a disaster strikes? The University of Kentucky Police Department (UKPD) recognized the need for a Campus Community Emergency Response Team (C-CERT) and launched its first training for UK faculty and staff in 2014. Since the program has started, UKPD has qualified more than 100 volunteers to assist when disaster strikes.
The UK C-CERT program trains participants to assist families, neighbors, co-workers and community members during emergencies when professional responders may not be immediately available to help. Individuals who participate in the C-CERT training learn basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety and suppression, light search and rescue, disaster medical operations, team organization, disaster psychology and terrorism response.
Following the training, UK faculty and staff will have the opportunity to join the UK C-CERT volunteer team. UK C-CERT volunteers support emergency response efforts and enhance existing capabilities alongside first responders.
“The growth of our campus community and infrastructure underscores the need to train UK employees on disaster response to minimize the impacts of emergencies,” said UK Police Chief Joe Monroe. “The C-CERT program gives our employees practical skills and confidence to support one another and keep our community safe when it matters most.”
Beginning Sept. 16, C-CERT training will be held for five Tuesdays in The 90 on campus. The training will take place from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and will end with a mock disaster exercise on Oct. 21. This is the ninth year UKPD’s Division of Crisis Management and Preparedness has offered C-CERT training, applying an established curriculum from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security with added modules, that are applicable to the university environment.
Registration for the 2025 training is open through Sept. 9. Class size is limited, and enrollment is on a first come-first served basis. The training is free and open to the community. Register here. UK faculty and staff who want to participate in the C-CERT training this fall will be expected to obtain approval from their supervisor to attend 40 hours of training and submit to a routine background check.
To find out more, visit UKPD’s C-CERT website or contact Hannah Salamon by calling 859-218-2341 or by email at hannah.salamon@uky.edu.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.