Community Emergency Response Training (CERT)

Class Descriptions

Basic Personal Preparedness

This class covers how to take care of yourself, your family and your home. It discusses in detail the five critical steps you can take to prepare for an earthquake (make a plan, arrange for a long distance phone contact, prepare an emergency supplies kit, prepare your home, and know your neighbors).

Disaster First Aid

Learn how to apply basic first aid techniques, give initial care to the seriously injured, and stabilize victims until emergency medical services are available. Participants practice opening airways, head to toe exams, making splints, and how to treat for shock.  Although this is not a CPR class, it will help to prepare the participants in the use of first aid in a multi-casualty situation in which the usual emergency medical responders are overwhelmed during the first hours or days following a disaster and are unable to attend to everyone needing help.

Light Search and Rescue

Learn how to identify signs of structural damage, search for people, apply basic rescue techniques, and remove heavy objects from trapped victims. Participants learn cribbing and perform a search exercise in the fire tower.

Fire Suppression

Learn how to put out small fires, what to do during a fire, and how to prevent injuries and protect your home. Participants receive hands-on practice on the use of fire extinguishers and of a fire hose.

Pandemic Flu

Learn the facts about what pandemic influenza is, how it can spread and what you, your family, and your community can do to prepare.

Disaster Mental Health

David Wee, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and City of Berkeley employee, teaches participants about disaster-related emotional reactions. The class includes role-playing and a four-step guide to a healing conversation.

Shelter Operations

American Red Cross volunteers teach participants how to open, operate and close a shelter, and how to organize the facility and its resources to meet the needs of the people in the shelter.

Incident Command System/Radio Communications

The Incident Command System is a flexible and scalable response organizational framework designed to improve emergency response operations.  This class is an introduction to the system and to how it can be utilized in your neighborhood to improve and organize teamwork.  Radio communications basics are also covered.  See FEMA's website for online independent study on the Incident Command System and other National Incident Management courses.