Whatcom County Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) basic training will be offered in Ferndale on Wednesday evenings over 8 weeks beginning April 5th. The trailing will provide attendees with skills to act as first responders in the event of a disaster.
According to organizers, CERT training enables ordinary citizens to safely act as first responders in the event of a disaster.
The basic training course provides 24 hours of instruction that are a combination of classroom study and hands-on exercises. The course wraps up with a simulated disaster exercise in which students demonstrate their skills with volunteer ‘victims.’
Click for more information
Click for more informationThe training curriculum includes the following topics.
- disaster preparedness, CERT organization
- fire safety, fire suppression, utility controls
- triage, life saving intervention
- light search & rescue operations
- public health & hygiene, head to toe assessment, basic treatments
- disaster psychology, terrorism
CERT is a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) community program that “offers a consistent, nationwide approach to volunteer training and organization that professional responders can rely on during a disaster situation.”
The course fee is $50 and can be paid at the first class session by either cash or check. Course fee discounts are available for cases of financial hardship. Anyone interested in attending can enroll by sending an email with your name and phone number to Program Manager Doug Bestle at dbestle@co.whatcom.wa.us.