FEMA's Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Basic Training Instructor Guide is a critical program in the effort to engage everyone in America in making their communities safer, more prepared, and more resilient when incidents occur. Community-based preparedness planning allows you and others interested from your community to prepare for and respond to anticipated disruptions and potential hazards following a disaster. As individuals, we can prepare our homes and families to cope during that critical period. Through pre-event planning, neighborhoods and worksites can also work together to help reduce injuries, loss of lives, and property damage. Neighborhood preparedness will enhance the ability of individuals and neighborhoods to reduce their emergency needs and to manage their existing resources until professional assistance becomes available. The purpose of the CERT Basic Training is to provide you and others in your community who complete this course with the basic skills that they will need to respond to their community's immediate needs in the aftermath of a disaster, when emergency services are not immediately available. This course will be beneficial to individuals who desire the skills and knowledge required to prepare for and respond to a disaster. Instructors for these community courses usually range from skilled fire and rescue instructors that have completed the CERT Train-the Trainer course and are knowledgeable about the CERT model, different types of hazards that present greatest risks for communities, local building structures that may present greatest hazard in disaster events, community's emergency operation plans, and licensed Paramedics or Emergency Medical Technicians and nurses for providing hands-on knowledge relating to disaster medical operations Related items: FEMA's companion product-- CERT Basic Training Participant Manualcan be found here: https: //bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/027-002-00627-5 Emergency Management & First Responders publications can be found here: https: //bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/security-defense-law-enforcement/emerg... Audience: As each CERT is organized and trained in accordance with standard operating procedures developed by the sponsoring agency, its members select an Incident Commander/Team Leader (IC/TL) and an alternate and identify a meeting location, or staging area, to be used in the event of a disaster. This publication is ideal for the chosen IC/TL, and members of the CERT may want to consult this manual to understand the responsibilities of the IC/TL.

Following the events of September 11, 2001, Citizen Corps was launched as a grassroots strategy to strengthen community safety and preparedness through increased civic participation. Since then, the importance of preparedness education, training, and involving the whole community has become increasingly recognized as critical to successful community preparedness and resilience. Citizen Corps is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, within the Department of Homeland Security, but is implemented locally. Communities across the country have created Citizen Corps Councils as effective partnerships between government and community leaders to focus on the following objectives: engaging the whole community in collaborative community planning and capacity building; integration of community resources; outreach and localized preparedness education and training; emergency communications to all population segments; drills and exercises; and, volunteer programs. CERT is a critical program in the effort to engage everyone in America in making their communities safer, more prepared, and more resilient when incidents occur. Community-based preparedness planning allows us all to prepare for and respond to anticipated disruptions and potential hazards following a disaster. As individuals, we can prepare our homes and families to cope during that critical period. Through pre-event planning, neighborhoods and worksites can also work together to help reduce injuries, loss of lives, and property damage. Neighborhood preparedness will enhance the ability of individuals and neighborhoods to reduce their emergency needs and to manage their existing resources until professional assistance becomes available. Studies of behavior following disasters have shown that groups working together in the disaster period perform more effectively if there has been prior planning and training for disaster response. These studies also show that organized grassroots efforts may be more successful if they are woven into the social and political fabric of the community-neighborhood associations, schools, workplaces, places of worship, and other existing organizations. Effective response therefore requires comprehensive planning and coordination of all who will be involved-government, volunteer groups, private businesses, schools, and community organizations. With training and information, individuals and community groups can be prepared to serve as a crucial resource capable of performing many of the emergency functions needed in the immediate post-disaster period. The CERT Program is designed to train individuals to be assets to help communities prepare for effective disaster response. The purpose of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Basic Training is to provide the individuals who complete this course with the basic skills that they will need to respond to their community's immediate needs in the aftermath of a disaster, when emergency services are not immediately available. By working together, CERT members can assist in saving lives and protecting property using the basic techniques in this course. The target audience for this course is individuals who desire the skills and knowledge required to prepare for and respond to a disaster.

Instructor Guide for the FEMA course to become a CERT team member. It contains the same information as the pdf which can be downloaded from FEMA.gov at no cost. This book contains additional helpful tabs and pages for notes.

CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) is a critical program in the effort to engage everyone in America in making their communities safer, more prepared, and more resilient when incidents occur. Community-based preparedness planning allows us all to prepare for and respond to anticipated disruptions and potential hazards following a disaster. As individuals, we can prepare our homes and families to cope during that critical period. Through pre-event planning, neighborhoods and worksites can also work together to help reduce injuries, loss of lives, and property damage. Neighborhood preparedness will enhance the ability of individuals and neighborhoods to reduce their emergency needs and to manage their existing resources until professional assistance becomes available. Studies of behavior following disasters have shown that groups working together in the disaster period perform more effectively if there has been prior planning and training for disaster response. These studies also show that organized grassroots efforts may be more successful if they are woven into the social and political fabric of the community-- neighborhood associations, schools, workplaces, places of worship, and other existing organizations. Effective response therefore requires comprehensive planning and coordination of all who will be involved--government, volunteer groups, private businesses, schools, and community organizations. With training and information, individuals and community groups can be prepared to serve as a crucial resource capable of performing many of the emergency functions needed in the immediate post-disaster period. The CERT Program is designed to train individuals to be assets to help communities prepare for effective disaster response. Audience: Effective response therefore requires comprehensive planning and coordination of all who will be involved--government, volunteer groups, private businesses, schools, and community organizations. With training and information, individuals and community groups can be prepared to serve as a crucial resource capable of performing many of the emergency functions needed in the immediate post-disaster period. The CERT Program is designed to train individuals to be assets to help communities prepare for effective disaster response. Related items: Companion to CERT Basic Training Instructor's Guide that can be found here: https: //bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/027-002-00628-3 Emergency Management & First Responders publications can be found here: https: //bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/security-defense-law-enforcement/emergency-management-first-responders

If available, emergency services personnel are the best trained and equipped to handle emergencies. Following a catastrophic disaster, however, you and your community may be isolated for an extended period for a myriad of reasons, including the size of the area affected, inoperable communications systems, or unpassable roads. CERT Basic Training prepares you to help yourself and help others in the event of a catastrophic disaster. Because emergency services personnel will not be able to help everyone immediately, you can make a difference by using your CERT training to save lives and protect property. This training covers basic skills that are important to know in a disaster when emergency services are not available. With training and practice, and by working as a team, you will be able to protect yourself and maximize your capability to help for the greatest number of people after a disaster.

CERT training (a primary program within the Citizen Corps program) is designed to prepare citizens to help themselves, their family, and their neighbors in the event of a catastrophic disaster. It covers basic skills that are important toknow in a disaster when emergency services are not available. Includes "FEMA CERT visuals," PowerPoint files that accompany the instructor guide.