COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program educates volunteers about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. CERT offers a consistent, nationwide approach to volunteer training and organization that professional responders can rely on during disaster situations, which allows them to focus on more complex tasks. Through CERT, the capabilities to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters is built and enhanced.
At the same time, the CERT program was designed as a grassroots initiative and specifically structured so that the local and state program managers have the flexibility to form their programs in the way that best suits their communities. CERT volunteers are trained to respond safely, responsibly, and effectively to emergency situations, but they can also support their communities during non-emergency events as well. There are over 2,700 local CERT programs nationwide, with more than 600,000 individuals trained since CERT became a national program.
What Does the Course Involve?
The course consists of 8 units and a review. Classes are taught by trained emergency personnel. The format may very from one or more classes a week to three 8 hour days. Scheduling is up to the instructor and the class. The course agenda is generally as follows:
UPCOMING CERT CLASSES |
2020 CERT CLASSES
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CERT registration can be found at: Island County CERT Registration
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NOTICE 3/9/2020: the March 13-15 CERT course has been cancelled NOTICE 3/9/2020: The April CERT course has been cancelled due to COVID-19 NOTICE 4/27/2020: The May CERT course has been cancelled due to COVID-19 NOTICE 6/3/2020: The June CERT course has been cancelled due to COVID-19
NOTICE 9/1/2020: All remaining CERT courses are cancelled for 2020. We are currently working on a new, virtual training plan for 2021. Please check back periodically for new information.
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DATE | LOCATION |
February 14-16
| Langley
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March 13-15
| Coupeville
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April 17-19
| Camano Island
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May 29-31
| Oak Harbor
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June 19-21
| Langley
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September 18-20
| Greenbank
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October 16-18
| Camano
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November 6-8
| Langley
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PRESENTATIONS, DRILLS, & REFRESHERS
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There are currently no scheduled presentations, drills or refreshers at this time. Please check back at a later date.
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The target audience for this course is private citizens, businesses, and schools who desire to prepare for and respond to a disaster.
The CERT course is free. Training materials are provided or students may bring their own equipment. CERT students will also be asked to register as Washington State emergency workers.
If you would like to get more information on CERT, go to:
http://www.islandcert.org