By State › Tennessee

Tennessee: Local Resources

Download all of Tennessee as PDF Print

TEMA and ReadyTN

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency runs public preparedness outreach under the ReadyTN name, most visibly during National Preparedness Month each September, with a “Ready to Recover” framing that pairs preparation with resilience after a disaster, not just readiness beforehand.

A program not seen on any other state's page so far

ReadyTN Faith is a dedicated statewide initiative specifically helping houses of worship prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies and disasters, a targeted outreach effort to a specific community type that’s genuinely distinctive among the states covered on this site.

Where to find it: tn.gov/tema/prepare.

UT Extension: Tennessee’s version of the other states’ land-grant Extension programs

The University of Tennessee Extension runs the same category of program as every other state covered on this site.

  • Tennessee Extension Master Gardener Program: 40 hours of horticultural training plus 40 hours of volunteer community service to certify, delivered through almost 40 local groups statewide with more than 2,250 active volunteers.

Where to find it: mastergardener.tennessee.edu lists local groups.

CERT: county-run, with programs in both major metro areas

Tennessee’s CERT programs are organized locally, with active training in both Memphis/Shelby County and Nashville/Davidson County, plus dozens of smaller county programs across the state.

What's typical

Shelby County’s program (jointly run by the county Emergency Management Agency and City of Memphis Office of Emergency Management) is a 16-hour course over two Saturdays. Statewide, most Tennessee CERT programs run a roughly 20-hour basic course, free to participants, covering fire prevention/suppression, head-to-toe medical assessment, and light search and rescue.

Where to find it: tn.gov/volunteer-tennessee lists participating counties; Nashville and Memphis residents can also contact their city’s Office of Emergency Management directly.

Sources