The Brentwood Community Council (BCC) is sponsoring a free Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training program at Paul Revere Middle School starting in March.
The CERT program is provided by the Los Angeles Fire Department. This program is the nationally accepted federal standard for community response team training.
What is CERT? Local government prepares for everyday emergencies. However, during a disaster, the number and scope of incidents can overwhelm conventional emergency services. The CERT program is an all-risk, all-hazard training. This valuable course is designed to help you protect yourself, your family, your neighbors and your neighborhood in an emergency situation.
CERT is a positive and realistic approach to emergency and disaster situations where citizens may initially be on their own and their actions can make a difference.
While people will respond to others in need without the training, one goal of the CERT program is to help them do so effectively and efficiently without placing themselves in unnecessary danger.
In the CERT training, citizens learn to manage utilities and put out small fires; treat the three medical killers by opening airways; controlling bleeding, treating for shock, and providing basic medical aid; search for and rescue victims safely; and organize themselves and spontaneous volunteers to be effective; and collect disaster intelligence to support first responder efforts.
The CERT program consists of two and a half hour classes, once a week, for seven consecutive weeks. All sessions will be on Thursday evenings starting at 6:30 pm. Dates will be March 5, 12, 19, 26, and April 2, 9, 16. Classes will be in the school’s Town Hall next to the cafeteria. Signs will be posted to help locate the building.
Residents can sign up for the CERT training class by emailing their name, email, and phone number to info@brentwoodcommunitycouncil.org. For anyone who doesn’t have email or has additional questions, call Jerry at 310.472.4733.
