Community Emergency Response Team Training

Next date: Friday, August 23, 2024 | 06:00 PM to 10:00 PM

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program educates volunteers about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may occur where they live. The CERT concept was developed and implemented by the Los Angeles City Fire Department in 1985. The Whittier Narrows earthquake in 1987 underscored the area-wide threat of a major disaster in California. Further, it confirmed the need for training civilians to meet their immediate needs.

CERT became a national program in 1993. There are now CERT programs in all 50 states, including many tribal nations and U.S. territories. Each is unique to its community and all are essential to building a Culture of Preparedness in the United States. There are over 2,700 local CERT programs nationwide and more than 600,000 people have trained since CERT became a national program.

CERT trains volunteers in basic disaster response skills, such as:

Fire safety
Light search and rescue
Team organization
Disaster medical operations
Disaster Psychology
Disaster Preparation

The CERT class will be held the evening of August 23, 6PM to 10PM; August 24, 8AM to 5PM; and August 25 from 1PM to 5PM at the Emergency Operations Center in the Municipal Building. This class is free and provides a lot of great skills that can be very helpful both pre- and post-disaster.