Emergency planning | Central Bedfordshire Council

Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs)

In times of crisis and emergency, a strong and well-prepared community can make a big difference in effectively responding and recovering. This is where a dedicated group of people within a community come into play. Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) are groups of individuals who assist their communities during emergencies and who provide valuable support to the official emergency responders. With their local knowledge, CERTs are best positioned to know who needs help, what parts of the community are most affected, and what resources are available within the community itself.

Important: A CERT does not replace the emergency services. If there is an immediate risk to life, always call 999.

Emergency contacts

We have created a dedicated emergency contacts list for residents and CERTs in Central Bedfordshire.

This includes key phone numbers and links for utility companies, as well as contacts for our Highways team to report issues such as fallen trees, blocked gullies and road closures. You will also find details for partner organisations, including the Environment Agency and internal drainage boards, to report flooding or debris in rivers and streams.

The page also signposts additional support, including mental health services.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)?

Important: A CERT does not replace the emergency services. If there is an immediate risk to life, always call 999.

A Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is an informal network of coordinated key local community members. People involved can be part of the town or parish council, or be community building owners/managers, local elected members, local emergency service workers, community group leaders, amateur radio licensees, local school staff, GP/doctors, pharmacy staff, care home staff, farmers, local shop owners, faith leaders, local pub manager, local sports club coaches, hairdressers, garden centre managers, and more. The Council’s Emergency Planning Team are also part of the CERT.

CERTs help share information, identify needs and available resources, and support the response alongside the emergency services and other response organisations.

We work together to support the community before, during and after an emergency. Each team is also linked to the Bedfordshire Local Emergency Volunteers Executive Committee (BLEVEC) which provides access to a large pool of resources in an emergency from our voluntary and community sector. Some volunteers live locally and have also joined CERTs to provide support.

CERT members stay connected through a local WhatsApp group.

A CERT can also open a Community Emergency Hub as a physical location to support people affected by an emergency.

Where do we currently have CERTs in Central Bedfordshire?

In Central Bedfordshire, we aim to have a CERT in each of our 79 town and parish areas. See if your area currently has a CERT (A-Z):

Ampthill
Arlesey
Aspley Guise
Biggleswade
Blunham
Caddington
Campton & Chicksands
Chalton
Clifton
Clophill
Cranfield
Dunstable
Eaton Bray
Everton
Fairfield
Flitwick
Flitton and Greenfield
Gravenhurst
Heath and Reach
Houghton Conquest
Houghton Regis
Langford
Leighton Linslade
Leighton Linslade – Clipstone Brook
Lidlington
Marston Moreteyne
Maulden
Meppershall
Moggerhanger
Northill
Potton
Pulloxhill
Sandy
Shefford
Shillington
Silsoe
Slip End
Stotfold
Stondon
Studham
Tempsford

If you are interested in being part of your local CERT, or are a town or parish council not listed above and want to set up a CERT for your area, email: emergency@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk.

What if there is no CERT where I live or where your organisation operates?

If there isn’t currently a CERT in your area, we can help you set one up.

A CERT can start small — even just a few people connected via a WhatsApp group — and grow from there. While town or parish councils are encouraged to be part of the group, this is not essential.

To get started, email: emergency@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk.

Are CERTs a formal organisation?

No. CERTs are not formal legal entities such as charities or constituted voluntary organisations.

They are informal, community run networks supported and facilitated by our Emergency Planning Team.

Who leads and supports a CERT?

Our Emergency Planning Team usually leads the initial set-up of a CERT, but CERTs are run by the community, for the community.

The Emergency Planning Team:

is a member of all CERT WhatsApp groups
acts as a group administrator
links CERTs into the wider emergency response system

What could your role be on a CERT?

Your role on the CERT will vary, depending on your interests and skillsets. For example, if you have specific skills and qualifications, like being a teacher or care worker, that is great. Or perhaps you are fit and strong, and could assist some elderly residents in putting out their flood protection. Or perhaps you are a member of an organisation with resources and capabilities, such as a sports club, whose club house could serve as a Community Emergency Hub, or a pub, who could potentially assist with catering support. Or perhaps you work for the local church, mosque, temple, or other faith group, and are good at making people feel at ease during stressful times. Or perhaps, like most of us, you just want to help and are good at making a nice cup of tea. All these skills are valuable. On joining a CERT group we will work together to agree and clarify the roles. You can become as involved as you want to be.

What sorts of tasks can a CERT be involved with?

Emergency scenarios can vary widely, including flooding, severe weather (heat, cold, snow), utility disruptions (electricity, gas, water), disruptions to food, fuel, and telecommunications, major transport and industrial accidents, fires and explosions, widespread public disorder and terrorism. These scenarios are detailed in the National Risk Register. Despite their differences, the consequences and management strategies for them often overlap. Common impacts include: 

disruption of essential services
evacuations or sheltering in place
damage to property, infrastructure, and the environment

As a result, the response from a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) will generally be similar across various situations. 

A CERT does not in any way replace the work of the Emergency Services. When a threat to life is present, please call 999. However, a CERT can do the following: 

Situation monitoring and communication

Monitor the situation: Keep track of ongoing developments.

Share updates: Communicate impacts and needs through the WhatsApp group.

Report issues: Send concerns to the appropriate organisations.

Community information sharing

Inform the community  Alert members about the current situation and potential risks.

Share trusted updates: Distribute accurate safety information and advice.

Signpost help: Direct individuals to relevant resources and support services.

Facilitate community interaction: Provide a platform for sharing needs and offers of support.

Establish Community Emergency Hub

Create a safe space: Open up a place for community members to gather.

Provide assistance: Offer information and support to those in need there.

Practical support and assistance

Local knowledge: Use community members' knowledge, skills and resources to address needs. Perhaps there is already someone in the community who can assist?

Assist in response activities: Engage in tasks that contribute to the emergency response. For example, posting flyers with the latest information.

Follow guidelines: Follow official guidelines and advice to offer effective, respectful, and safe support.

Be prepared

Create a CERT Emergency Plan: Work together with the our Emergency Planning Team to identify local hazards and create a CERT Community Emergency Plan in advance of an emergency. Such plans detail what good locations for Community Emergency Hubs could be, what other resources there are in the community, how to best spread information quickly and effectively to the community (local Facebook page, notice boards), etc.

Prepare in advance: Help individuals, families, local community groups and local businesses be more prepared in advance of an emergency. We recommend following the PLAN principle:

Plan ahead
Look after others
stay Alert that you follow official, verified information
act Now, acting calmly but swiftly during an actual emergency) – have an emergency kit and follow the Government Prepare online emergency guidance, which provides tailored advice on what to do during different types of emergencies, and also provides information for disabled persons and carers

How are CERTs linked to the wider emergency response?

CERTs are connected to the official response framework through:

our Emergency Planning Team
BLEVEC (Bedfordshire Local Emergency Volunteers Executive Committee)

This ensures information flows between communities, us, voluntary organisations and emergency services. Along with BLEVEC commanders, we take part in multi-agency command and control groups set up for an emergency.

What is BLEVEC?

BLEVEC is a Bedfordshire-wide partnership of over 60 voluntary and community organisations, including groups such as the British Red Cross and Samaritans.

During emergencies, BLEVEC helps provide:

volunteers
welfare and humanitarian support
logistics and practical assistance

CERTs are directly linked into this network via us and a trained BLEVEC commander, who is allocated to a specific CERT Group.

Find out more about BLEVEC, including its members and the specialist help they can provide.

Are there any examples of response activities that CERT members may be involved in?

Yes, here are a few activities a CERT could get involved in during a response, other than information sharing.

At a Community Emergency Hub, CERT members could:

register visitors and volunteer staff, so we know who is attending the hub
transport things
help in car park marshalling
ensure the centre is adequately supplied and kept clean and tidy
assist with refreshments, like cups of tea and sandwiches
provide entertainment activities
distribute aid and manage physical donations

Other tasks could include:

door knocking to check and warn people of the emergency
leaflet/letter drops
helping with snow and ice clearance
removing debris from culverts/gullies, where it is safe to do so
checking drainage ditches
helping others set up flood protection
carry out community impact assessments, where we look how the community has been affected by the emergency and what support needs there are
help people to clean and clear up after the incident

Are there any scenarios where a CERT may be on their own and empowered to take action independently?

Yes, there could be certain scenarios where CERTs may have to take action independently to help their communities with no or very limited support from statutory emergency responders. One of the key scenarios would be a total loss of almost all types of communications, such as during a national power outage. As no one would be able to communicate, CERTs should attempt to:

set up a Community Emergency Hub and send the message out by word of mouth to the community that they can come there for information and support
be good neighbours – checking on community members that are most vulnerable, and offer support where you can

Who can become a CERT member?

CERTs are open to a wide range of local people and organisations, including:

residents
town and parish councils
elected members
community and voluntary groups
faith groups
local businesses and shop owners
schools, care homes and health providers
farmers and landowners

You do not need to be part of an organisation to join. Individuals are very welcome to join their local CERT to help their community in an emergency.

How do you join your local CERT?

Email the Emergency Planning Team: emergency@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk.

You’ll be asked for some basic information, and once approved, you’ll be added to your local CERT WhatsApp group.

Businesses and organisations can also join in the same way.

Do CERT members need Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks?

CERT members are not routinely DBS‑checked. We do recommend CERTs to try to involve volunteers who already have some vetting in place, and to pro-actively check with local care and teaching staff, whether they are happy to become involved, in case vulnerable adults or children would require support.

If you see a need for a regulated activity – or so-called ‘work with adults’, which has a slightly lower bar – to take place, please contact us. Several of these activities can be conducted by some of the BLEVEC volunteer organisations, who have the correct DBS clearance and training in place. Similarly, we can ask our social care teams for support, who will be able to advise and have staff with the right levels of clearance. Please note, this does not constitute a ‘social services referral’ for the individuals involved, so do not hesitate to request assistance from these specialist staff.

It can be helpful to check among your volunteers, whether there are people who hold an up-to-date Enhanced DBS with checks against Adults’ and/or Children’s Barred Lists. For example, people working in childcare or schools are likely to have been through an Enhanced DBS with check against the Children’s Barred List. Those working in CQC care homes for adults are likely to have had to undergo Enhanced DBS with check against Adults’ Barred List. DBS checks are only as up to date as the last time they were issued, so it is important that you confirm when the DBS has been conducted, for example with their employer. Make sure that the checks pertain the right level of check and workforce (adults or children) that is required.

Engaging in regulated activities as a CERT with the volunteers involved lacking the right level of checks leaves you legally vulnerable, if something were to go wrong. If you see a particular action is required, and you are not confident whether this activity would fall within a category of regulated or unregulated activity, please contact us for further discussion and guidance, and/or check the DBS guidance on GOV.UK.

Examples of regulated activities are:

Work with children

Providing care, treatment, supervision, training or transport to children. When children are affected in emergencies, their regular care takers (parents, school staff, etc.) remain in charge of them. If an unaccompanied minor without caretakers attends a Community Emergency Hub, and none of your volunteers have appropriate vetting in place, please notify the Emergency Planning Team, who have access to volunteers and our staff with the correct level of vetting to help out.

Work with adults

Transport of people, if the assisted person is in receipt of a listed health or social care service (check DBS guidance on GOV.UK for details).

Transport of people to a health care appointment, personal care or social work, due to age, illness or disability.

Providing a listening ear and wellbeing support (beyond signposting to a specialised service) to someone who receives a health or social care service.

Providing advice and guidance and management of needs and offers (with advice beyond signposting to a specialised service).

Purchasing food or medication on behalf of someone.

Running the Family & Child section, or Unaccompanied Children section within an Assistance Centre.

For detailed information on regulated activities, please refer to the following guidance: 

Guidance on regulated activity with adults – GOV.UK

Regulated activity in relation to children – GOV.UK

Further guidance 

The government's DBS eligibility tool can be used to work out if a role requires a DBS check. 

For adults, refer to DBS guidance for working with adults (GOV.UK) for specific situations and criteria.

For children, refer to eligibility guidance for Enhanced DBS checks and guidance on supervising children's activities (GOV.UK).

For all activities from CERTs that directly involve interaction with people, we recommend to team volunteers up in assigned pairs of two.

What if you have a safeguarding concern?

Any safety or safeguarding concerns should be raised:

within a Community Emergency Hub/Assistance Centre, with the manager of the facility at the time
directly with our Emergency Planning Team

You should also report your concern to Safeguarding Bedfordshire.

How does insurance and liability work for CERTs?

CERT members are only covered by our insurance when explicitly tasked by us.

If you are a member of a business, charity or other community organisation and carrying out your normal role, but just in the emergency situation, your own insurance should cover this. For example, if you own or belong to the village hall or community centre and you open this up to help people in an emergency, your usual insurance is likely to already cover this.

If you are not a member of an organisation and decide to take action as part of the CERT, you may not be insured. This means that if an accident or other situation occurs due to unsafe of negligent actions, there is a risk of being liable or being sued with no cover to help you. However, the Social Action, Responsibility and Heroism Act 2015 is in place to reassure individuals that if they act in a socially responsible and reasonable way, the courts will recognise this in the event of a negligence claim.

Additional health and safety guidance

Be sensible and do a quick risk assessment when embarking on an action. Think ‘if I do this, can it cause harm to myself, others, property, or the environment?’.

Volunteers should under no circumstances be under the influence of drugs, alcohol, heavy medication or other substances, which may affect their ability to safely execute their actions. It is the volunteer’s own responsibility to assess their cognitive, physical and mental wellbeing, and to refuse participation or take sufficient breaks.

In general, if you have acted as instructed, made sure you are capable at that time to conduct the action at hand and have been careful in executing it, you are much more likely to be covered.

What is the Social Action, Responsibility and Heroism Act 2015?

The Social Action, Responsibility and Heroism Act 2015 (SARAH Act) is a UK law applying to England and Wales that requires courts to consider the context of a defendant’s actions, and the fact that they were acting for the benefit of society, when assessing negligence or breach of statutory duty. The goal of this Act was to encourage volunteering through reducing fear of litigation, by assuring volunteers that the context of their actions would be taken into account.

Is funding available for CERTs?

We don't have any additional funding put aside for CERTs and their further development. However, some support may be available, including:

flood kits, which are funded by the Environment Agency
occasional grants for specific CERT‑related projects, like improving the resilience of a community building or buying some specific kit like communications equipment etc. (we can also help you look at other options, such as grants from the Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation)
Bedfordshire Community and Voluntary Service (CVS), which has a list of local funders

How can you raise concerns or feedback about an emergency response?

If you have concerns, feedback or criticism:

do not use the CERT WhatsApp group
raise the issue with the relevant organisation directly
contact your local councillor

The Emergency Planning Team can help signpost you if you’re unsure who to contact.

After any emergency the Emergency Planning Team will also run a debrief process and gather feedback on the response from CERTs and others to help identify lessons and see how we can improve the response in the future.

Are there any data protection of GDPR issues to be concerned about?

Yes, there are some simple rules we should follow.

We should not share other CERT members’ details with another person outside of the CERT group without their permission.

If you want to share the details of a potentially vulnerable person that may need help, please contact the Emergency Planning Team directly outside of the CERT chat group. Alternatively, assign one or two people in the CERT group to be the vulnerable person information holders, and share the information with them directly for coordination of support. Relevant information is: name, contact number of the person, address, their support need, and relevant information on access (for example, mention if the person in question has poor hearing and may not hear the doorbell).

What information do we collect and hold on you, if you become a CERT Member?

On joining a CERT, we currently require the following information:

your name, so we know who you are
your mobile number, so we can add you to the WhatsApp group and be able to contact you if required
your email address, so we can contact you via email if necessary and as a back-up for the mobile number
if you belong to an organisation, we will record which organisation you belong to, so we know who you represent on the CERT
your role, skills and resources that you offer the CERT – for example, if you are a trained teacher, have a van that could transport material, have good IT skills, etc.

We hold this information digitally, which the Emergency Planning Team manages. Only the Emergency Planning Team and Duty First Contact Officers (the 24/7 emergency number for emergency planning) can access this data.

Is there a list of all CERT members?

Yes. We maintain a list of all CERT members across all CERT groups. This helps us maintain a minimal amount of control and knowledge about who are members of which CERTs and what their roles are. The information we hold on this list for CERT members includes:

name
organisation/group (if applicable)
category (For example: Community Volunteer, Private Organisations, Public Sector Organisation, Voluntary and Community Sector Organisation, etc.)
which CERT(s) you are a member of
role on the CERT, including skills and resources
mobile number (which is used to add to the WhatsApp group)
email address (used to contact members, if necessary, or to send out opportunities for training or grants and any other important information)
if you are a CERT WhatsApp group administrator or not

Are there rules for being part of a CERT?

Yes. CERTs include many different people and organisations, including Council and sometime emergency services staff. All members are expected to:

be respectful, professional and supportive at all times
avoid offensive language, inappropriate jokes or disrespectful comments
use the chat only for relevant emergency related information
avoid blaming individuals or organisations – they may be members of the WhatsApp group and we have to ensure it remains a safe working environment for them
not use the group for political or religious activity or other non‑emergency purposes
not share individuals personal contacts or details without gaining permission first
not use contact details or information from the group for any other purpose

Social media

Unless explicitly asked to or given permission to by us or other formal response organsiation, information from the CERT WhatsApp group should not be copied or shared on social media. Sometimes, we do want to get messages out as far and wide as possible – for example, warnings and alerts or letting people know about a service, helpline numbers of Community Emergency Hub locations. We will mention this clearly and explicitly, when that is the case. If unsure, please just ask first before sharing.

Removal from a CERT group

The Emergency Planning Team reserves the right to remove anyone from a CERT and its WhatsApp group if:

the group rules are not followed
complaints are received that require investigation

Anyone who is behaving inappropriately in their CERT, either online or offline, can be removed from the CERT group. If you have concerns about an individual’s statements or actions, please notify emergency@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk, and we will look into the matter.

Community announcements

There are dozens of WhatsApp groups and some messages (‘community announcements’) go out to all of them. Please do not reply directly to community announcement messages, as this will notify thousands of people. Use your local CERT group instead if you require more information or have questions.

Late night posts

Please be mindful when posting late at night — messages notify many people at once, and may wake people up. So please only post, when it is urgent. You can also contact our duty officer directly, without writing to the entire community group.

Use of WhatsApp

Why do CERTs use WhatsApp?

WhatsApp is used because it is:

widely available and free
already installed on most people’s phones
effective for fast, real‑time communication during emergencies

WhatsApp also allows us to send alerts and updates quickly across multiple CERTs when needed.

What is the CERT WhatsApp group used for?

CERT WhatsApp groups are used to:

share accurate, timely information during an incident
report community needs (e.g. vulnerable residents, access problems)
share offers of help or resources
coordinate low‑risk community actions
communicate directly with our Emergency Planning Team and BLEVEC commanders

They are not intended for general chat or assigning blame. It is natural that there are sometimes questions on whether someone is at fault during or after an emergency, but it is really important that the CERT WhatsApp is used for its specific purpose: to manage the response and recovery to an emergency, so we can support affected residents faster and better.

During a wide-spread emergency such as flooding, where several communities can be affected at once, we can receive hundreds of messages via the CERTs. Every one of those should be focused on the actual response. There are other venues available where questions and concerns can be raised on the causes of incidents and how risks have been managed.

How do you tag yourself on WhatsApp so other group members know who you are?

We recommend that you should tag yourself on the CERT WhatsApp group. This will ensure people know who you are and which organisation or role you carry out on the CERT. For example:

John Smith, parish council
Lucy Snow, resident volunteer

Steps to add a member tag (2026 feature)

Open the Group: Navigate to the WhatsApp group chat
Open Group Info: Tap on the name of the group at the top of the screen
Find Your Name: Scroll down to the list of participants and tap on your own name (labelled "You")
Add/Edit Tag: Select "Add member tag" (or "Edit member tag" if you are changing an existing one)
Enter Text: Type in your desired role or name (up to 30 characters) and tap "Save"

For more help on this check out the WhatsApp Help Centre.

Who can see your information on the WhatsApp group?

Other members of your local CERT WhatsApp group can see:

your mobile number (you can however prevent unknown users from seeing it by adjusting privacy settings to "Nobody" in your "About" section in WhatsApp)
your name, WhatsApp photo and WhatsApp profile details (if you allow this in your own privacy settings)
messages you post in the group
personal data shared in the group must be handled responsibly and in line with data protection rules

We recommend that you display your name, number and profile in the WhatsApp group, so that all other members know who you are.

For more help on this check out the WhatsApp Help Centre.

What happens to the WhatsApp chat after an emergency?

After an incident:

the entire chat history may be downloaded for record-keeping
messages, images and videos may be used as part of legal or incident investigations
posts may be deleted from the group as required to meet data protection guidance

This is part of our legal obligations after emergencies: we need to be able to show what actions and communications have taken place before, during and after an emergency.

Any tips for managing WhatsApp notifications?

Yes — WhatsApp allows you to:

mute chats
adjust privacy settings
control notification times

For more help on this check out the WhatsApp Help Centre.

What are the CERT WhatsApp Communities for?

Important: Please do not reply directly to community announcement messages, as this will notify thousands of people. Use your local CERT group instead.

All CERTs are also part of WhatsApp Communities. Currently there are two communities a CERTs North Community and a CERT South Community, which cover different geographic areas in Central Bedfordshire. We use the communities to be able to notify all CERT WhatsApp groups about a situation or an announcement with one message, for example when severe weather has been forecast.

You name and mobile number will also appear on the CERT WhatsApp group and in the community, so can be accessed by others. Members generally cannot see the details (such as phone numbers) of other members who are in different, separate groups within that same community.

You can restrict the information that your share on WhatsApp in your own privacy settings on the app.

For more help on this check out the WhatsApp Help Centre.