CERT starts Feb 4--Resolve to be Prepared!

Have you ever used a fire extinguisher?  Do you know what to do if someone is in hypovolemic shock? Want to be able to help out emergency responders when the “big one” hits? Your next opportunity to learn these practical skills starts February 4th.

The Community Emergency Response Team training (CERT) offered by the City of Albany teaches you both practical and theoretical skills involved in emergency preparedness.  The 8 week course includes hands-on interactive experiences covering topics such as:

·         disaster medicine

·         light search and rescue

·         fire suppression

·         disaster psychology

·         CERT organization

CERT gives participants an opportunity to discuss practical solutions for managing a disaster until professional rescuers are able to respond to your neighborhood.  Realistically, in a large-scale event, our first responders will quickly be overtaxed and will rely on CERT members to assist in the recovery/restoration phase.

·         YOU will be vitally important in this process.

·         YOU can help your neighborhood become more resilient and recover more quickly.

·         YOU can join the ranks of our CERT graduates and get to know some of our Albany paramedics & firefighters personally. In the past 3 years we have had 80 people become CERT graduates and we’re looking to hit a goal of 100 graduates. You could be part of this elite group by registering today.

CERT training will not only give you practical skills, but it also help you practice smart decision–making.  You will learn how to organize your neighbors to plan and respond to an emergency both effectively and safely.  The goal of CERT is to enable team members to do the greatest good for the greatest number of people in the shortest amount of time.

In the final session participants put out real fires with fire extinguishers, use cribbing to lift a heavy object off a victim and perform a search and rescue exercise.  Successful completion of these challenges builds confidence in class members that they are more prepared to help their family and neighbors in the event of a real emergency.

The Spring 2014 CERT class starts Tuesday, February 4th and runs every Tuesday through April 1st from 6:00pm to 9:00pm. To register, contact Community Engagement Specialist Karina Tindol at 510.528.5755 or 510.334.0990 (cell) or ktindol@albanyca.org