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Community Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T.) Class
General Overview
CERT stands for Community Emergency
Response Team. The program has been developed by the San Luis Obispo City Fire Department
and is designed for the citizens of the City. The basic premise of the program is based on
the not-so-well-known reality that in the event of a large-scale disaster, it is very
possible that the typical emergency service workers that you rely on during the day-to-day
norm may not be available to assist you immediately, as you might normally expect. This is
simply a supply-and-demand issue. As with many facets of life, it is necessary to
prioritize the large number of emergencies that may occur during a major disaster. It is
suspected that in the event of a disaster, your emergency professionals will be dealing
with what are considered “high level” emergencies and will be unable to respond
to “low” or “moderate” level emergencies for 48 to 72 hours.
That’s where you and CERT comes in.
The primary intent of the program is two fold. First, it is to assist our customers in
learning basic preparedness skills for all types of disasters. The second primary
component of the program is to teach team concepts so that those trained in the CERT
program can assist others if they so chose. The course is an 20-hour class that is taught
during four evening sessions and one Saturday morning. Generally, it is limited to the
citizens or business owners of San Luis Obispo, but occasionally there is available space
for individuals who reside outside of the city.
There are two primary philosophies
brought forth in the presentation of the CERT program that are important to point out. The
first, is that we believe that you “learn by doing.” As such, approximately five
to six hours of the course are manipulative or “hands-on” type of training. If
you think you might not be able to do this, you might want to reconsider. We’ve had
people in their 80’s and people in wheelchairs successfully, and enthusiastically,
complete the course. The second belief is that we think it’s crucial to have fun
while you’re learning. So, if you’re a real serious person and you never like to
laugh, this class might not be for you. However, if you don’t mind laughing a bit,
you might just have some fun while taking this class.
Even though we like to have fun, we also
fully recognize the seriousness of the subject matter that the San Luis Obispo City Fire
Department is presenting to its customers through this program. Although many people
intend to become better prepared “one day,” very few actually do. Here, at the
Fire Department, we commend the almost 450 previous graduates of the program for their
commitment to their families and their community. In the very near future, it is our hope
that we can commend you as well for successfully making the same commitment. In doing so,
we can assure you that your sense of security and self-reliance will be greatly enhanced,
and well worth your time, commitment, and effort.
Course Content
During the first class
session, you will have an overview of the CERT concept and learn basic disaster
preparedness skills and utility control. The second class teaches you firefighting skills,
hazardous materials and terrorism awareness. The third class is spent entirely with emergency
medicine issues. The fourth class provides instruction on light search-and-rescue
techniques. The fifth class, which is on Saturday morning, provides an opportunity for you
to practice, in a very real setting, the skills that you’ve learned in the classroom.
Course Location
The classes are
held at the new Fire Station Number One, which is located at 2160 Santa Barbara Street,
San Luis Obispo (at the corner of Broad, South, and Santa Barbara).
Course Sessions
At the current time, there
are three course sessions given per year. They are generally held in the Fall, Winter, and
Spring. To find out when the next class session is being held, it is necessary to call the
CERT information line at (805) 781-7399. Once into the voice mail line, you can
immediately press number 2, and it will give you this information.
Cost
Presently, there is a $40
materials fee for each student. So, the next question is, What do you get for your money? Well,
besides the super-duper secret magic de-coder ring” (not), you receive a student
manual that provides information on all of the lessons taught in the course. In addition,
you receive a “CERT bag,” which acts as a sort “starter kit” towards
your emergency preparedness supplies. Within this bag, you’ll have your own gloves,
goggles, dust mask, vest, hardhat, and whistle. Since there are significant additional
costs in conducting this course (instructors, supplies, copying costs, other materials,
etc.).
Financial
Sponsors
In an effort to reduce the
cost of government services, and in order to present this program to you, we have taken
the unusual step of partnering our efforts with Corporate Sponsors and appreciate their support in presenting the CERT program to you.
As such, we encourage our CERT members to support them whenever possible. Our
sponsor is:
- Pacific Home “Do It” Center - 2034 Santa Barbara Ave.,
San Luis Obispo, (805) 543-2191
How To Sign Up
To sign up for the next
class session, you can either call the CERT information line at (805)
781-7399 or continue
reading below. If you do call the information line, once into the voice mail line, you can
immediately press number 3, and it will give you the information on how to sign up and
confirm a seat in the next class session.
Since the classes fill up early and
there is often a waiting list, in order to confirm a seat in the next class session, it is
necessary to send us a check. Please make the check out to “City of San Luis
Obispo,” in the amount of $40 for city residents and business
owners. Send the check to the San Luis Obispo City Fire
Department at 2160 Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, CA. 93401. It is important that you
provide us with your name, address, and telephone number. Upon receipt of your check, a
confirmation letter will be sent to you stating the dates, times, and locations of the
class. |
