Over 65 million children are affected by natural disasters annually, making the need for youth to have training to care for themselves and others critical (Citizencorp.gov, 2012).  First responders can take 5 minutes or more to arrive on the scene depending on location. In rural areas, this time frame for help can even exceed 20 minutes. When each minute counts to save a life we believe youth should be equipped with skills to aid themselves, their family, and their community until professionals arrive. 

As of 2025, Nassau County has graduated over 100 highly skilled, confident, and capable youth first-responders increasing the local community resiliency.

The Youth Emergency Team, started in 2017, combines FEMA’s Teen CERT curriculum and the philosophies of 4-H to train youth in critical response and life-saving skills, increase leadership capacity, and form meaningful relationships. This seven-week program includes two group capstone projects (a video PSA and public communication’s outreach event) and a two-tier peer mentoring system. Youth learn how to suppress fires, render first aid and hands only CPR, facilitate animal sheltering, conduct search/rescue operations, and other response skills. Youth learn personal resiliency through stress management and suicide prevention. To graduate youth must score 80% or better on a written test and perform 90% of hands-on skills correctly during the disaster scenario. Youth are also expected to complete all assignments and participate in group projects.

Classes have been conducted at the Emergency Operations Center and primarily taught by local professionals such as firemen, police, doctors, animal control officers, certified therapists, and emergency managers. The 4-H agent oversees the peer mentoring system, ensures compliance and consistent messaging, evaluations, post-program opportunities, registration, and all teamwork/leadership activities. As of Spring 2025, YET is fully facilitated and lead by 4-H! 

Due to high interest, a selective registration application was implemented in 2019. Classes are capped at 20 students plus 5-7 graduate mentors referred to as "Majors". Mentors and Majors receive additional training on peer-mentoring and leadership strategies. Weekly modules include take-home assignments reinforcing knowledge gain and family preparedness. A formal graduation is held which rewards youth with their full bag of response materials, an official uniform, a certificate, and community service hours.

Post-graduation, youth conduct peer teaching workshops and service-learning events, attend public outreaches, volunteer for emergency management divisions, and serve as official evaluators for adult programming. Continued education events are held each year that have included water safety/rescue, forestry survival, and wildfire mitigation. 

This program is adaptable for nation-wide needs, local hazards, and agent goals. Modules can be added or removed as needed to suit local program plans, however, the youth development components (such as mentoring, teamwork, leadership, and group projects) should not be removed from the program plan. 

The Teen CERT curriculum is used only as a base for the program design and agents are strongly encouraged to incorporate 4-H PYD practices into their program plan. Your local organizations should be utilized to offer additional relevant opportunities, partnerships, and career development.

Each county has unique additional opportunities to build into their YET program. This can be in the form of continued education, additional modules, or partnerships. 

• HAM Radio Certification

• Sky Warn classes

• Self Defense and abduction awareness

• Teen Mental Health First Aid certification

• Water safety/life guard training

• Wildfire/forestry 

• Snow safety

• Survival first aid

• Wilderness survival

• Hiking/boating/hunting/atv safety

• Animal tactical rescue

• Tornado, tsunami, mudslide, snow storm, etc training 

• "Ride Alongs" with Police, fire, EMT, veterinary ER, Animal control, and/or EOC director shadowing

• Poison control

• Infrastructure and event management (from EOC perspective)

• Dispatcher communication practice

• Peer-led simulation drills

• Sheriff Explorer's Program

• Active Shooter Drill

• and SO MUCH MORE!