The Auburn Police & Fire Departments in conjunction with Auburn Emergency Management initiated the second C.E.R.T. team in Massachusetts in November 2000. The Auburn Police & Fire Department sent a member from each agency to the Emergency Management Institute (EMI) in Maryland to be come certified C.E.R.T. Instructors in May of 2001.

The first C.E.R.T. class was taught on September 5, 2001. Auburn's C.E.R.T. team has since grown to be in excess of 100 people. Auburn's C.E.R.T. membership consists of people from very different backgrounds. Currently the C.E.R.T. team has trained, Doctors, Registered Nurses (all Auburn School Nurses have been C.E.R.T. certified since April of 2003), Middle & High School Students, Electricians, Railway Workers, Business People, Teens, senior citizens and boy scouts.  Auburn Boy Scouts recently earned seven merit badges after taking two additional classes at the end of C.E.R.T. Training.

The C.E.R.T. program is NOT a police or fire program, it is a community program.  The structure of the C.E.R.T. has a civilian coordinator who reports to Auburn Office of Emergency Management Director.  The civillian coordinator chairs the C.E.R.T. Advisory council who are the driving members of the community who develop the goals and objectives of C.E.R.T.  Through open lines of communication the police & fire departments support the C.E.R.T. program through training and some equipment

The C.E.R.T. team has proven to be a very beneficial organization in the Town of Auburn.  The C.E.R.T. has been actively involved in public safety initiatives during recent community events such as the 4th of July Firework's Display, Parades, Road Races, Hazardous Materials Clean-Up Day and other large scale activities. 

he C.E.R.T. team has also assisted public safety professionals during large scale emergency incidents.  C.E.R.T. team members have been deployed during dive rescue operations, LPG tanker truck fires, large scale structure fires and other incidents where the resources of the police & fire departments have been quickly over burdened by the event.  The presence of C.E.R.T. trained volunteers allows professional rescuers to return to their regular duties during such events.  C.E.R.T members have assisted with records keeping and provided support to professional emergency responders on scene.  Select C.E.R.T. volunteers are currently being trained as ground crew dive rescue support personnel and should be a functional component of Auburn's Public Safety Dive Team within the next few months.  The value of C.E.R.T. has proven to be priceless during such long term incidents as dive search & recoveries.