CERT Training

The Monterey Hills Federation will be conducting CERT training in January 2010. More details are here. We highly encourage everyone to take part in this training, the life you save may just be your own!

Local government prepares for everyday emergencies. However, during a disaster, the number and scope of incidents can overwhelm conventional emergency services. The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program is an all-risk, all-hazard training. This valuable course is designed to help you protect yourself, your family, your neighbors and your neighborhood in an emergency situation.

What is CERT?

CERT is a positive and realistic approach to emergency and disaster situations where citizens may initially be on their own and their actions can make a difference. While people will respond to others in need without the training, one goal of the CERT program is to help them do so effectively and efficiently without placing themselves in unnecessary danger. In the CERT training, citizens learn to:

• manage utilities and put out small fires,

• treat the three medical killers by opening airways,

• controlling bleeding, and treating for shock,

• provide basic medical aid,

• search for and rescue victims safely,

• organize themselves and spontaneous volunteers to be effective,

• and collect disaster intelligence to support first responder efforts.

WHY DO THE CERT TRAINING?

Well, it's like paying for car insurance. You might never need either; you'd hope not to. But if the occasion arises, having the CERT training, just like having car insurance, means you're as ready as you can be to help yourself, your family and your neighborhood.

HOW DID CERT START?

The idea to train volunteers from the community to assist emergency service personnel during large natural disasters began. In February of 1985, a group of Los Angeles City officials went to Japan to study its extensive earthquake preparedness plans. The group encountered an extremely homogenous society that had taken extensive steps to train entire neighborhoods in one aspect of alleviating the potential devastation that would follow a major earthquake. These single-function neighborhood teams were trained in either fire suppression, light search and rescue operations, first aid, or evacuation.

In September of 1985, a Los Angeles City investigation team was sent to Mexico City following an earthquake there that registered a magnitude 8.1 on the Richter scale and killed more than 10,000 people and injured more than 30,000. Mexico City had no training program for citizens prior to the disaster. However, large groups of volunteers organized themselves and performed light search and rescue operations. Volunteers are credited with more than 800 successful rescues; unfortunately, more than 100 of these untrained volunteers died during the 15-day rescue operation.

The lessons learned in Mexico City strongly indicated that a plan to train volunteers to help themselves and others, and become an adjunct to government response, was needed as an essential part of overall preparedness, survival, and recovery.

To sign up for free training, please click here!

In association with the Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council,
Monterey Hills Local Issues Committee 

Important Information

Federation Meeting
Tuesday, March 16th
at 7:00 PM

Emergency 9-1-1

LAPD Hollenbeck
Non-Emergency 323-342-4100

Report Graffiti and other acts of vandalism to LAPD
Ask that your report be forwarded to SLO J. Pedroza

Report Transients to
SLO R. Medina

Post Patrol (323) 258-3761

Council District 14 Office
(323) 226-1646

City Services 3-1-1

CERT - Community Emergency Response Team