L.A. County CERT Program
The Community Emergency Response Team concept was developed and
implemented by the Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD) 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. As a
result, the LAFD created the Disaster Preparedness Division with the
purpose of training citizens and private and government employees.
The training program makes good sense and furthers the process of
citizens understanding their responsibility in preparing for
disaster. It also increases their ability to safely help themselves,
their family and their neighbors. The Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) recognizes the importance of preparing citizens. The
Emergency Management Institute (EMI) and the National Fire Academy
adopted and expanded the CERT materials believing them applicable to
all hazards.
The CERT course will benefit any citizen
who takes it. This individual will be better prepared to respond to
and cope with the aftermath of a disaster. Additionally, if a
community wants to supplement its response capability after a
disaster, civilians can be recruited and trained as neighborhood,
business, and government teams that, in essence, will be auxiliary
responders. These groups can provide immediate assistance to victims
in their area, organize spontaneous volunteers who have not had the
training, and collect disaster intelligence that will assist
professional responders with prioritization and allocation of
resources following a disaster.
Basic level #1 CERT training is open to anyone who is
interested in Life Saving Skills, Disaster Preparedness, Fire
Suppression, Cribbing, Light Search & Rescue, Triage, and Head to
Toe Assessment. The class is a total of 21 hours that must be
completed to receive the FEMA Certificate of graduation. More info
on training opportunities can be obtained by visiting
www.lasdavcert.com.
Training is designed to cover the
following:
- Disaster Preparedness
- Fire Safety
- Disaster Medical Operations - Triage
and Treating Life Threatening Injuries
- Disaster Medical Operations -
Assessment, Treatment, and Hygiene
- Light Search and Rescue
- Team Organization
- Disaster Psychology
- Terrorism and CERT
- Final Exercise
Sessions require about 21 hours to complete
