What is CERT?
If a Major Disaster hits, do you …
- have enough supplies for a
minimum of 72 hours up to an entire month for all family
members, including pets?
- know how to turn off the gas?
- know how to safely turn off
the power?
- know how to apply first aid?
- have enough water for all of
your family and your pets?
- have provisions for living
outside your home for a length of time if the structure is
compromised?
It is important to know, if a major disaster occurs, the fire dept.,
paramedics, police…WILL NOT COME! They will be deployed FIRST to
major incidents such as collapsed buildings. That is why you
constantly hear…You MUST be prepared to take care of yourself. In
the CERT course they say…“The
Greatest Good for the Greatest Number of People.”
When you are trained, you are far more equipped to deal with your
circumstances without needing aid from outside sources.
CERT members are trained in basic disaster response skills such as
fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization and disaster
medical operations. You will learn how to prepare for emergencies,
what supplies you should NOW have in your house, how much food, how
much water but most importantly, how to protect your family in an
emergency!
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.
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.
Sign-up for the FREE Training
HOW DO I JOIN?
CERT members receive 20 hours (one day a week for eight weeks) of
initial training. The 8-week course is followed by full-day biannual
refresher drills.
CERT is provided free of charge within the Parish of Calcasieu to
anyone 18 or over.
The current schedule is always available on the internet at
mylert.org on the Calendar. To register for a class, Please fill out
the form on the Contact Us page to verify the date, time and
location of the class. If you miss a class, you can do a make
class. When you arrive at the make-up session, inform the instructor
that you are making up a class.
You can also organize a class for your neighborhood, business or
community group. You need a minimum of 20 people to be trained and a
location to hold the training. Call CERT at 337-602-8411 or fill the
form on the Contact Us page to schedule your class.
The CERT of Calcasieu Parish only conducts non-discriminatory
classes. Non-discrimination includes race, religion, gender, and
group affiliations.