Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training Starts April 6 in Goleta
Become Prepared to Help in a Disaster
Imagine that it is 4 a.m. and you hear a crash. You sit up in bed and look to the clock which is dark. As your brain slowly wakes up, you realize that the power is out. You quietly crawl out of your bed and check on your family. Shards of glass cover your kitchen floor. Through the broken window you hear a neighbor screaming for help. You decide to go out to help. Neighbors are hurrying out of their homes. Some are half-dressed and crying. One says that a dresser has fallen on her son and another says he cannot find his dog. You quickly realize that this is bigger than a typical power outage. What would you do next? What should you do next?
Earthquakes, fires and other disasters can hit a community at any time. Knowing what to do and how to best help is the focus of Community Emergency Response (CERT) training. Register now for the City of Goleta’s CERT training, from 6-9 p.m. every Wednesday from April 6 – May 25.mock-disaster drill and graduation ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 28.
The CERT training program prepares community members to take a more active role in emergency preparedness. CERT participants are trained to serve as part of neighborhood or workplace response teams in the event of a major disaster, when emergency services may not be available and when residents may have to rely on each other for life-saving and life-sustaining needs.
Participants in the CERT program will learn about disaster preparedness and response, basic fire safety, disaster sychology, first aid, and light search and rescue techniques.
CERT courses consist of a series of eight (8) classes. Each course will conclude with a mock-disaster drill, which will test the participants’ knowledge and skills learned in the training. The CERT course is taught by fire fighters, first responders and volunteers from Santa Barbara County.
Classes are free of charge and will be held at the Goleta Valley Community Center. Those interested in participating must be 18 years of age and a resident of the City of Goleta. An application form can be downloaded from http://www.goletapreparenow.org/community-emergency-response-team or picked up at the City of Goleta at 130 Cremona Drive, Suite B. Space is limited, so participants are encouraged to enroll early.
For questions and comments, call 805-961-7510 or email goletapreparenow@cityofgoleta.org.
