Walnut Creek CERT Recruiting New Members

WALNUT CREEK, CA — Walnut Creek’s Community Emergency Response Team— or CERT— is recruiting new members.

Basic training classes will be held beginning Jan. 31, and registration closes Monday, Jan. 15.

CERT is a nationwide program that educates volunteers about disaster preparedness for the hazards in their area and trains them in light disaster response to assist first responders. This can reduce the number of victims during disaster situations and allow professional responders to focus on more complex tasks. CERT trains volunteers of all abilities in basic disaster response skills, such as:

• Fire safety
• Team organization and incident management
• Personal preparedness
• Light search and rescue
• Medical triage, treatment of life-threatening conditions and basic first aid
• Emergency communications

The Basic Training includes four mandatory meeting dates for a total of approximately 24 hours:

• Wednesday, Jan. 31 on Zoom, 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
• Friday, Feb. 16 on Zoom, 6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
• Saturday, Feb. 17 in person, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Saturday, Feb. 24 in person, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

As attendance at all classes is required to become a member of CERT, only those with availability on those dates should apply.

Before the first course Jan. 31, applicants need to complete a FEMA course online; it’s a simple, one-to-two-hour course with an open book exam at the end. A copy of the completion certificate is required before the first training class. The course, FEMA IS-317.A, is a basic introduction to CERT. It can be found online here on the FEMA website.

CERT is volunteer-led and taught, with a $35 fee due on the first day of in-person training. Graduates receive a CERT backpack, helmet, vest, and personal protective equipment at no additional cost.

Those interested need to reach out to Volunteer Program Manager Margaret Campos at camposwccert@gmail.com no later than Jan. 15.

More details can be found about CERT on the program website.