Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training

ARE YOU READY? LAKE ELSINORE COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM (CERT) TRAINING BEGINS MARCH 18th

The Lake Elsinore Citizen Corps kicks off its 2013 Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training schedule with its Winter Session set to begin on Monday, March 18, 2013. This session of 7 classes is formatted to take place in the evening from 6:30pm-9:30pm twice a week (Mondays & Thursdays) over a three week period with the final exercise and graduation on Saturday, April 6th from 9:00am to 2:00pm. Classes will be held at the Lake Elsinore Senior Center, 420 E Lakeshore Drive, Lake Elsinore, CA 92530. 

CERT training is FREE charge and taught by local Firefighters and Emergency Medical Services response personnel as well as trained Lake Elsinore Citizen Corps volunteers. In the 20 hour/8 component class enrollees are instructed emphasizing hands-on practice and group exercises in enhanced self-help and mutual-aid emergency functions as:

Emergency Disaster Preparedness

Fire Safety & Light Fire Suppression

Emergency Medical Operations / Triage

Light Search & Rescue 

CERT ICS Organization 

Disaster Psychology 

Terrorism and CERT

Disaster Simulation Exercise

Robert Mainwaring, LECC Training Coordinator remarked, “The training is compelling, engaging, and with our classes lots of serious fun. Many people are sometimes daunted by the course curriculum which honestly is out of their everyday experience. Yet in the end, most are surprised on having acquired a valuable new set of team based emergency operations knowledge and self reliant skills. This active intelligence instills real confidence to help make yourself, your family and neighborhood safe in a mass catastrophic disaster emergency event not if..but when one occurs.”

Mr. Mainwaring went on to comment about CERT post graduate volunteer program opportunities to assist the community, “After graduating those wishing to do so can become an "Active CERT". As an ACERT volunteer we will connect you to other like trained ACERT members in your neighborhood. Because of your team skills, ACERT’s work together mapping out their neighborhood and neighborhood operation plan to assist emergency responders during a disaster event. With the support through the Lake Elsinore Citizen Corps we will also provide our ACERT’s with operation support as well as refresher training and exercises during the year to keep the teams readiness skills sharp. Community Emergency Response Teams are a proven and invaluable trained resource not only making their neighborhoods safer but assisting in the aftermath and recovery due to a emergency disaster event.” 

Students will be issued a class manual as well as their own CERT backpack with basic emergency supplies (once again FREE of charge). The final day of the course is a challenging real time disaster exercise that will allow the trainees to use all the knowledge and team working capabilities they have learned during the class sessions. At the end of the training a certificate of completion is awarded and graduates are given more information on how they may best apply their new skills in the community. Please note all volunteer trainees must attend and/or complete all of the class sessions to receive certification. Classes are open to anyone over 18 years of age.

Seating is limited! You can DO THIS! 

To register for the upcoming WINTER SESSION please email your name and contact information to Mary Zillox at: mzilliox@lake-elsinore.org or register by telephone 951-674-5170 (M-F 7am-3pm).