Education

CERT Training In Fargo

CERT Triage

CERT Triage City of Fargo, ND

“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.” [ 1 ] “CERT training provides life saving skills and techniques for people who will rely on each other for help in the time of need” [ 2 ] and can be a useful addition to the skill sets of Amateur Radio operators engaged in providing Public Service Communication support.

2017 Red River CERT Training

The required classroom training for CERT volunteers is provided in the Fargo/Moorhead area by Red River CERT.

Classes are from 6PM–9PM at Cass County Emergency Management (aka Fargo Public Safety Building), 4630 15th Ave. N Fargo, ND 58102

A downloadable PDF flyer for the 2017 classes is available.

Please email or call 701-476-5991 for more information.

Class Schedule

  • November 8
    • Class Introduction
    • General Preparedness (Unit 1)
    • CERT Organization (Unit 6)
  • November 15
    • Fire Safety/Fire Extinguishers (Unit 2)
    • Search and Rescue (Unit 5)
  • November 29
    • Medical Operations Part 1 (Unit 3)
    • Medical Operations Part 2 (Unit 4)
  • December 6
    • Disaster Psychology (Unit 7)
  • December 13
    • Terrorism/Active Shooter (Unit 8)
  • December 20
    • Wrap up/Exercise

Registration

Please register on-line

A CERT volunteer practices using a fire extinguisher

A CERT volunteer practices using a fire extinguisher Jocelyn Augustino/FEMA News Photo

On-line Introduction To CERT

“Introduction to Community Emergency Response Teams,” IS-317, is an independent study course that serves as an introduction to CERT for those wanting to complete training or as a refresher for current team members. It takes between six and eight hours to complete the course. Those who successfully finish it will receive a certificate of completion. It has six modules with topics that include:

  • Introduction to CERT
  • Fire Safety
  • Hazardous Material and Terrorist Incidents
  • Disaster Medical Operations
  • Search
  • Rescue

IS-317 can be taken by anyone interested in CERT. However, to become a CERT volunteer, one must complete the classroom training offered by a local government agency such as the emergency management agency, fire or police department. Contact your local emergency manager to learn about the local education and training opportunities available to you. Let this person know about your interest in taking CERT training. [ 1 ]

About CERT

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.

FEMA’s Community Emergency Response Team Program trains volunteers to prepare for the types of disasters that their community may face. Through hands-on practice and realistic exercises, CERT members:

References

[ 1 ] “Community Emergency Response Team”, ready.gov—Official website of the Department of Homeland Security, Retrieved December 3 2017, https://www.ready.gov/community-emergency-response-team.

[ 2 ] “Red River CERT”, The City Of Fargo, Retrieved December 4 2017, http://www.fargond.gov/city-government/departments/emergency-management/community-emergency-response-team-cert.

“Community emergency response team”, Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia, Retrieved December 4 2017, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_emergency_response_team.

Red River CERT Training—Fall 2017 flyer