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Illinois: Local Resources

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IEMA and Ready Illinois

The Illinois Emergency Management Agency runs public preparedness outreach through the Ready Illinois website, a “one-stop shop” for building an emergency plan and a supply kit, with a different preparedness topic highlighted each month throughout the year.

Reach since launch

Ready Illinois has been active since 2007, and IEMA reports more than half a million people have used the site for disaster preparedness information in that time.

Where to find it: ready.illinois.gov.

University of Illinois Extension: Illinois’s version of the other states’ land-grant Extension programs

University of Illinois Extension runs the same category of program as every other state covered on this site, through county-based offices statewide.

  • Illinois Master Gardener Program: requires more than 60 hours of initial training from Extension Educators and State Specialists, followed by 40 volunteer hours to earn certification, then 20 volunteer hours and 10 continuing-education hours annually to maintain it, a heavier initial training load than most other states’ programs covered so far.

Where to find it: extension.illinois.edu/mg lists the program by county, with both in-person and online training options in many areas.

Chicago CERT: federally funded, run directly by the city

Chicago’s CERT program is managed directly by the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC), with the Chicago Fire Department and Chicago Police Department providing instruction, similar in structure to New York City’s city-run model.

What Chicago's program looks like

Training runs at least four times a year, roughly 27 hours of classroom instruction plus 3 hours of hands-on practical skills, and it’s free, funded through a federal Department of Homeland Security grant. Graduates continue with monthly sessions covering CPR, Stop the Bleed, and other ongoing skills.

Where to find it: within Chicago, chicago.gov/CERT. Elsewhere in Illinois, CERT programs are organized locally; search “[your county] CERT” or check with your county’s emergency management office.

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