Navarre CERT will host a Community Emergency Response Team training March 13-15 and March 20-22 at the Holley Navarre Fire Station, located at 8618 Esplanade St. in Navarre. No special skills or experience are needed to take the free training which includes first aid, disaster psychology, fire prevention and basic firefighting techniques, disaster preparedness, disaster medical operations, light search and rescue, and terrorism. Adults and teens 14 years or older are encouraged to take advantage of this training that will certify participants as CERT members and allow them to join current teams or form new teams in their own community.
Prior to the start of training, participants must take the FEMA Independent Study course IS-317: Introduction to Community Emergency Response Teams online at www.fema.gov/community-emergency-response-teams. Attendance at all six sessions is required to become certified and pre-registration is required:
CERT is an official emergency preparedness program of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills. Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help. CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community.
For more details and to register online, go to www.navarrecert.org. For more information, email training@navarrecert.org or call (850) 939-6973.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Community Emergency Response Team Training Offered