Emergency Response Training to Begin Soon

If Moorpark were to suffer a major disaster, chances are police, fire and emergency medical personnel wouldn't be able to meet the demand for emergency services, and residents would need to jump in to help one another. Enter CERT, or the Community Emergency Response Team.

CERT is a group of residents and people who work and go to school in Moorpark who have learned how to help themselves, their family members and their neighbors in the event of a disaster.

Participants learn basic disaster medical operations, fire suppression techniques, search and rescue procedures, disaster psychology and rescuer safety.

Sponsored by the city's Emergency Management program and the Ventura County Fire Department, the next free CERT training begins Monday and is available to anyone age 18 or older who lives, works or attends school in the Moorpark area.

Classes will take place at 610 Spring Rd., from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays, from April 11 to May 21, with a final exercise from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 21 at the Ventura County Fire Department regional training center in Camarillo.

For a registration form, visit the city Web site and search for "CERT." For more information, contact John Brand at 805-517-6248 or jbrand@ci.moorpark.ca.us.