Block Captains are volunteer neighborhood leaders who coordinate preparedness activities on their block — building resident rosters, discussing home preparation, and connecting neighbors to CERT resources so a block can organize itself in a disaster.
What a Block Captain does
As proposed by Albany CERT’s Vice President, a Block Captain is asked to do just two things:
- Attend the quarterly Block Captain meeting.
- Be prepared to organize a roster for your block in a disaster.
CERT training is not required to be a Block Captain. No door-knocking quota, and you choose how much of your contact information, if any, is shared with your neighbors — you’re always reachable by CERT and the Albany Fire Department.
Coverage
Albany has 190 residential blocks. Block Captains currently cover a meaningful share of them, with the most active gaps in apartment and condo buildings rather than any single neighborhood.
The City of Albany has a revision of the Block Captain Manual available on the City website — it will prepare you for a disaster and help you organize your own home and family for such an event.
How to sign up
To confirm you are a Block Captain, email AlbanyCERT@gmail.com with the following information:
- Name
- Street address
- Block you are organizing
- Cell phone number
- Email address
- CERT Trained? Y/N
- GMRS call name if registered