Community

Want to help Berkeley respond after a disaster? Learn how!

Sign up for free disaster preparedness classes to learn essential skills. You can take all or part of this seven-class series, which starts Saturday.

Play a vital role in your community during and after a major disaster. City of Berkeley

Take emergency preparedness classes with fellow Berkeleyans to learn practical skills you can use during and after disasters.

These free classes include skills such as:

Organizing neighbors into teams to respond to emergencies
Extinguishing fires
Finding and rescuing victims using basic tools
Setting up a medical triage area and performing basic first aid
Helping survivors cope with extreme stress after a disaster

You can take all or part of the seven-class series, which starts Saturday, but those who complete it will have the chance to be certified by the Berkeley Fire Department to educate and organize others, further building the resiliency of their own neighborhoods and Berkeley as a whole.

Each of these three- to four-hour classes will be offered twice in person from May 3 to Aug. 2, with evening and weekend sessions available.

Play a vital role in your community during a disaster. Register for all classes via Eventbrite as early as one month before each class begins.

Sign up to attend Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) classes in person at the Fire Department Division of Training, 997 Cedar St.

Registration opens one month before each class begins and will close when all 30 spots are filled. If you cannot attend a class, please cancel your Eventbrite reservation to open a spot on the waitlist.

Each unit in the series will give you hands-on experience in dealing with disasters that can impact Berkeley. Some units build on previous topics and require prerequisites but, otherwise, you can take the classes in any order.

Unit 1: Disaster Preparedness

Saturday, May 3, 9 a.m. to noon
Saturday, May 31, 9 a.m. to noon

Understand the types of disasters that can happen in Berkeley, such as wildfires, earthquakes and tsunamis, and learn how to be prepared
Learn the first steps you will need to prepare for an emergency
Get help making a disaster plan for your family and community

Unit 2: CERT Organization

Thursday, May 15, 6-9 p.m.
Saturday, May 17, 9 a.m. to noon

Practice your emergency responses with others
Organize others into teams based on organizational structure for incidents
Learn how to collect disaster information while prioritizing safety

Unit 3: Disaster Medical Operations I

Saturday, June 7, 9 a.m. to noon
Thursday, June 12, 6-9 p.m.

Identify and practice treating the three most common life-threatening conditions following a disaster: airway obstruction, bleeding and shock
Use potentially life-saving interventions to stabilize a survivor
Perform basic first-aid care for several common non-fatal injuries like fractures, dislocations, sprains and strains

Unit 4: Disaster Medical Operations II (Prerequisite: Unit 3)

Thursday, June 26, 6-9 p.m.
Saturday, June 28, 9 a.m. to noon

Set up a medical triage area and perform basic first aid
Assess people for wounds and injuries
Continue first aid topics started in Unit 3, Disaster Medical Ops I, such as how to dress and bandage wounds, and how to treat burns, fractures, dislocations, sprains, strains, bloody noses, bites and stings

Unit 5: Disaster Mental Health

Thursday, May 8, 6-9 p.m.
Saturday, May 10, 9 a.m. to noon

Help survivors, civilian responders and others cope with extreme stress after a disaster
Hear personal accounts from people who have helped during disasters
Learn how to prepare yourself, your loved ones and neighbors for emergencies

Unit 6: Fire Safety and Utilities

Thursday, July 10, 6-9 p.m.
Saturday, July 12, 9 a.m. to noon

Learn successful fire prevention strategies, such as when and how to turn off utilities
Practice operating portable fire extinguishers and learn the correct way to extinguish fires
Classify a fire and identify potentially dangerous materials

Unit 7: Light Search and Rescue (Prerequisites: Units 3 and 4)

Saturday, July 26, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 2, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Learn how search and rescue operations work
Practice using basic tools effectively to find and rescue victims
Learn how to search for disaster survivors in areas of moderate damage

Learn valuable emergency preparedness skills

After a major disaster, first responders may have to address more urgent priorities away from your neighborhood. CERT training teaches you how to take care of yourself, your family and your community until first responders arrive.

CERT training is a national program supported by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In Berkeley, our CERT classes will help you learn about the city’s emergency response system and give you hands-on experience in creating an emergency plan to act quickly and effectively in the critical moments right after an emergency.

Create community connections

By signing up for classes, you will connect with a strong disaster preparedness community, including the Berkeley Fire Department, other city staff, CERT instructors and trainees, and passionate neighbors.

Through your community connections and guidance from neighborhood CERT leaders, you will learn how to organize and support your friends, family and neighbors in times of need.

In CERT classes, you will:

Learn from experts and people with lived experience
Collaborate with other Berkeley residents and neighbors
Practice and feel confident in your ability to help others

Sign up for CERT classes (Eventbrite)
Community Emergency Response Team (City of Berkeley)
Community Emergency Response Team (FEMA)
Get updates from the Berkeley Ready newsletter (City of Berkeley)

This post originally appeared on the city of Berkeley website and has been reprinted here with minor edits. Get more city of Berkeley alerts by subscribing online.