The Thurston County Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), is a volunteer organization that brings together community members who provide needed services to the people of Thurston County before, during, and after times of emergencies and/or other disasters.

The purpose of the Disaster Assistance Response team is to train people how to prepare to take care of themselves and their neighbors during emergencies.  DART also performs projects that improves community preparedness and safety and is a resource and volunteer pool during major emergencies.

The  goal of DART goal is to have knowledgeable members trained in Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), disaster preparedness, basic disaster response, fire extinguisher use, emergency radio communications, sandbagging, basic first aid, AED, safety assessment, shelter care, etc.

Who is eligible to become a member of DART?

Any individual 18 years of age and older can apply. You must submit an application, pass a background check, possess a valid driver’s license and complete at least 20 hours of core training.

Training Requirements

DART training includes but are not limited to:

• FEMA IS 100
• FEMA IS 200
• FEMA IS 700
• CERT
• First Aid/CPR
• Shelter Training 
• Emergency Coordination Center Training with Thurston County
• Disaster Psychology
• Sandbagging/flood response
• Family and Personal Preparedness

Before registering for the FEMA online trainings, you will need to apply for a FEMA Student Identification Number.  The FEMA Student Identification (SID) number is a unique number generated and assigned to anyone who needs or is required to take training provided by a FEMA organization. Your FEMA SID uniquely identifies you throughout the FEMA organization and all its agencies. The goal is for your FEMA SID to serve as your personal identification number instead of your Social Security Number (SSN) in support of FEMA’s effort to decrease/cease the use of SSN for identifying and tracking individuals. Register for your FEMA SID here https://cdp.dhs.gov/FEMASID/#faq