Knowing what to do in the face of an emergency can be a matter of life or death. That’s why the Santa Barbara County Fire Department is offering two free Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) courses to members of the public.
“CERT is about readiness, people helping people, rescuer safety, and doing the greatest good for the greatest number of people,” reads a statement from the fire department.
The training course will teach people how to manage utilities and put out small fires, as well as provide basic medical and treat more life-threatening conditions. Another component of the training will be how to search for and rescue victims safely, including spontaneous volunteer organization.
The CERT course is presented to the community by a team of first responders who have the knowledge and skills to instruct the sessions.
North County courses will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Church of Christ, 795 E. Foster Road, on Sept. 22 and 29, and on several other dates throughout October and November.
To register, contact Santa Barbara County Fire Department representative Jodi Dyck at jodi.dyck@sbcfire.com or 896-5134.
For more information, visit citizencorps.govt/cert.
This article appears in Sep 1-8, 2011.