PIERCE, Neb. -- CERT, it's an acronym many of us have never heard before.

It stands for Community Emergency Response Team and the Pierce Fire and Rescue Department has formed its own team that is impacting the community.

The team is designed to help in the occurrence of natural disasters.

"We have trained them in a multitude of different facets including firefighting and rescue, natural disaster response, and things like that," said Pierce Fire and Rescue Chief Steve Dolesh. "The CERT team for the fire division frees up manpower for the fire division side of it."

The team consists of 20 members and covers Pierce, Madison, Antelope, Knox, and Cedar counties.

Members of the team include teachers, nurses, business owners, and retired folks.

Besides facing dangerous situations such as fires and natural disasters, the CERT team also assists with community events.

"We've been able to do a lot of outreach things that aren't emergency related. Our cert team has run vaccine clinics since covid hit, keeping people hydrated at the fair last year when it was really hot last year, they've directed traffic at different events," said Kelli Sindt, Director of the CERT Team.

The team was created in the fall of 2019 due to the devastation of the state-wide flooding earlier that year. It's the only CERT team in Northeast Nebraska.

I asked if there is an emotional toll to being a team member and serving the Pierce community.

"Of course there is, just like there's always an emotional toll when we fight a fire at somebody's house that we know. They know everybody in town but that's what also makes them effective. Because they do know everybody in town," said Rich Lutz, the Pierce County Deputy Emergency Manager.

If you're interested in becoming a member of the CERT team or Pierce Fire and Rescue, you can contact the department at 402-329-4400.