Muskegon County CERT/MRC Team

08/23/2026

Our CERT/MRC/MCECS Teams love to help out at events like The Wings over Muskegon Air Show.

They set up the mobile command vehicle-MCV, our mobile Starlink (for WiFi), our lightning detector as well as facilitate and monitor radio communications and any weather developments. This fosters teamwork and skill building for when we respond to large incidents and disasters.

We also had lots of visitors and families stop in for a tour of the MCV to see what we do, including Miss Heart of Michigan Volunteer Kaieliana Pego!

If you are interested in gaining new skills learning new things and helping with Preparedness, Response, and Recovery give us a call!! 231.724.6341

08/14/2026

On Friday, August 7th our CERT/MRC/SAR Team was requested to assist with a missing persons search in Egelston Township. Our CERT/MRC/SAR team is new and still in training, so this was a great opportunity for us! We needed additional experienced and trained searchers so we collaborated with Ottawa County Search and Rescue -OCSAR and Kent County Search and Rescue - KCSAR, to create several multi-jurisdictional search teams.

Ben from OCSAR served as our SARTECH (search coordinator) using live topographical software to map search grids and track live time searcher locations. There are 4 levels of certification recognized in SAR. They are Awareness, Operational, Technician, Supervision.

Additionally, our MCECS Comms team was able to assist at staging as well as set up a mobile Starlink to facilitate connectivity in an area with limited cell coverage. A job well done MSP, DNR, all Police and Fire responders, neighbor partners and team members!

“Individually we are one drop. Together we are an ocean.” – Ryunosuke Satoro

If you are interested in joining the team give us a call! 231.724.6341

07/01/2026

Yesterday evening, we attended Sheltering training. Many thanks to our volunteers. More training coming soon!

06/29/2026

Reminder for those of you who signed up. Shelter training is tomorrow, Tuesday night, June 29, 2026 from 6p-9p. No more spots are available at this time.

05/14/2026

Our Next Training meeting is FIRE EXTINGUISHER USE
May 20, 2026
Norton Shore Fire Department Station 3, located at 1100 Pontaluna, Norton Shores, MI, 49444. 6p-8p.

05/13/2026

Teams from MSP/EMHSD, FEMA, and the U.S. Small Business Administration are in Muskegon County TODAY doing damage assessments where they will evaluate the extent, severity, and impact of recent flooding damage.

The information gathered during these assessments helps determine whether the state meets the criteria to request a federal disaster declaration and FEMA Individual Assistance for affected residents.

05/03/2026

Muskegon County CERT/MRC IS…
STRATEGIC
Our training is strategic. We train for seasonal threats. I.e. spring storms = damage assessment training before the storms.

RESOURCEFUL
Creative problem solving when resources are not available. It’s not always instant but it’s meaningful.

ACCOUNTABLE
We recruit for attitude. We can train those with the right attitude. Our volunteers are the best!!

ADAPTIVE
We have redundancies built into our program. Our volunteers learn a variety of new skills.

IMPACT DRIVEN
We look at how we can make a difference in our community when disasters happen.

04/27/2026

Updated: Our CERT/MRC/MCECS volunteers donated over 160 (Actual = 271 hours) hours of their time responding to flooding since April 14th. They helped in the EOC with: Logistics, planning, EOC Operations, mapping, Damage Assessment, data entry into MCIMS, communications, hauling and distributing clean-up kits, call taking and more...

CERT = Community Emergency Response Team
EOC = Emergency Operations Center
MRC = Medical Reserve Corps
MCECS= Muskegon County Emergency Communication Services
MCIMS = Michigan Critical Incident Management System

According independentsector.org the value of a volunteer hour is $36.14. The value of their time given to the county and its residents for this incident totals = $5,782.40

NEW RESEARCH Value of Volunteer Time: See the New Numbers SERVICE SYMPOSIUM Join Us for a Celebration of Service in America COMING TO PHOENIX Independent Sector’s National Summit 2026 About Us Independent Sector is the national membership organization that connects, strengthens, and advocates for ...

04/23/2026

Yesterday, some of our volunteers went out and did damage assessment. Fortunately they were recently trained to do this and did a great job!!

This survey link was how we knew where we needed to go. If you have damage to your house or business and need us to document it, please complete the survey. We want to pick up any stragglers by Saturday. https://arcg.is/10ab1j

This is so we can get those who need assistance some help.

Steps:
Self Reporting Survey
Local Damage Assessment

Flooding continues across Muskegon County, and we need your help to understand the impact. If your home or property has damage, please report it at https://arcg.is/10ab1j scan this QR code or call Community Access Line of the Lakeshore 211 to assist