CERT Basic Training Course Outline
If available, emergency services personnel are the best trained and equipped to handle emergencies. Following a catastrophic disaster, however, you and the community may be on your own for a period of time because of the size of the area affected, lost communications, and impassable roads.
CERT Basic Training is designed to prepare you to help yourself and to help others in the event of a catastrophic disaster. Because emergency services personnel will not be able to help everyone immediately, you can make a difference by using your CERT training to save lives and protect property. In order to adapt to local conditions, “Special Topics” have been added to tailor training to our central coast environment.
This training covers basic skills that are important to know in a disaster when emergency services are not available. With training and practice, and by working as a team, you will be able to protect yourself and do the greatest good for the greatest number after a disaster.
| Unit | Topics |
| 1 | Disaster Preparedness: Community Preparedness, Roles and Responsibilities, Hazards and Their Potential Impact, Impact on the Infrastructure, Home and Workplace Preparedness, reducing the Impact of Hazards through Mitigation, CERT Disaster Response, Protection for Disaster Workers, Additional Training for CERTs |
| 2 | Fire Safety and Utility Controls: Fire Chemistry, Fire and Utility Hazards, CERT Sizeup, Fire Sizeup, Considerations, Firefighting Resources, Fire Suppression Safety, Hazardous Materials, Exercise-Suppressing Small Fires |
| 2A | Wildland Fire (Special Topic) |
| 3 | Disaster Medical Operations – Part 1: Treating Life-Threatening Conditions, Triage |
| 3A | Automated External Defibrillators (AED) (Special Topic) |
| 4 | Disaster Medical Operations – Part 2: Public Health Considerations, Functions of Disaster Medical Operations, Establishing Medical Treatment Areas, Conducting Head-to-Toe Assessments, Treating Burns, Wound Care, Treating Fractures, Dislocations, Sprains and Strains, Nasal Injuries, Treating Cold-Related Injuries, Treating Heat-Related Injuries, Bites and Stings |
| 5 | Light Search and Rescue Operations: Safety During Search and Rescue Operations, Conducting Interior and Exterior Search Operations, Conducting Rescue Operations |
| 5A | Earthquake & URM Buildings (Special Topic) |
| 6 | CERT Organization: CERT Mobilization, Documentation Activity, ICS Functions Activity, Tabletop Exercise |
| 7 | Disaster Psychology: Disaster Trauma, Team Well-Being, Working with Survivors’ Trauma |
| 8 | Terrorism and CERT: What Is Terrorism?, Terrorist Targets, Terrorist Weapons, CBRNE Indicators, Preparing at Home,Work and in Your Neighborhood, CERTs and Terrorist Incidents, Activity – Applying CERT Principles to a Suspected Terrorist Incident |
| 9 | Course Review, Final Exam and Disaster Simulation: Simulation Exercises, Critique and Summary |
Cambria CERT 