Morgan Hill Community Emergency Response Team

The CERT program teaches people how to prepare for disasters that can occur in their area. It also trains people in basic response skills. These skills include fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations.

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CERT is before anything else a personal preparedness program however CERT graduates can volunteer in their community. CERT provides a consistent training method across the nation. Professional responders can rely on CERT volunteers during a disaster. This lets the professionals focus on more complex tasks.

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CERT builds and improves the ability of communities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters.

CERT volunteers learn to respond safely, responsibly, and effectively in emergencies. They can also support their communities during non-emergency events. More than 2,700 local CERT programs exist across the nation. More than 600,000 people have completed the training since CERT became a national program.

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Course Overview A team of first responders and other qualified volunteers delivers the CERT Basic Training Course in the community.

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• Disaster Preparedness This unit explains the hazards that can affect the community. Participants learn actions that they and their families can take before, during, and after a disaster. The unit also gives an overview of CERT and the local laws that apply to volunteers.

• Fire Suppression This unit covers fire chemistry, hazardous materials, fire hazards, and strategies to control fire. The main focus is the safe use of fire extinguishers, control of utilities, and how to extinguish a small fire.

• Disaster Medical Operations – Part I Participants learn how to treat life-threatening problems. These problems include blocked airways, heavy bleeding, and shock.

• Disaster Medical Operations – Part II Participants learn how to evaluate patients, set up a medical treatment area, and give basic first aid.

• Light Search and Rescue Operations Participants learn how to plan a search and rescue operation, size up the situation, use search techniques, use rescue techniques, and stay safe as a rescuer.

• CERT Team Organization This unit covers how to organize and manage a CERT team.

• Disaster Psychology This unit explains the signs and symptoms that disaster survivors and workers may show or experience. 

• CERT and Terrorism This unit defines terrorism and explains the goals of terrorists. Participants learn how terrorists select targets, what weapons they may use, and how to identify a possible attack. The unit also covers preparation at home and at work, CERT procedures for terrorist events, and protective actions after an event.

• Course Review and Disaster Simulation Participants review and apply some of skills they learned in the earlier units in a disaster activity. Additional medical exercises will be provided as time permits.