City of Villa Park

Community Emergency Response Team

In California, local government is the first to respond to emergencies with additional personnel and equipment from neighboring cities and counties available to assist if needed. However, in a large scale disaster such as a damaging earthquake, flood or fire, emergency resources may not be immediately available.

Individuals, neighborhoods, businesses and schools may be on their own for 72 hours or more. CERT training will provide you with the necessary and practical skills to help yourself, your family and your neighborhood until trained emergency personnel arrive.

Remember – preparedness is key to survival!

The CERT training is a 20-plus hour course approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and provides critical skills in emergency preparedness and response. As a member of a CERT team, you can respond to disasters and participate in drills and exercises.

In addition to supporting emergency responders during a disaster, the CERT program builds strong working relationships between emergency responders and the people they serve.

Training and Certification

Re-Certification

Cert training is a comprehensive, 20-plus hour course that will train you to prepare for, respond to, and recover from major disasters. Training subjects include:

Disaster Preparedness
CERT Organization
Fire Safety
Medical Operations
Search and Rescue
Disaster Psychology
Terrorism
National Incident Management System
Disaster Simulation

Re-certification is an essential aspect of the Villa Park CERT program to ensure that all volunteers responding to a major disaster or assisting first responders are current in their education and training.

Members wishing to touch-up on their skills are encouraged to complete FEMA's IS-317 course. IS- 317, is an independent study course that serves as an introduction to CERT. It has six modules with topics that include an Introduction to CERT, Fire Safety, Hazardous Material and Terrorist Incidents, Disaster Medical Operations, and Search and Rescue. It takes between six and eight hours to complete and serves as a great refresher.

FEMA’s Independent Study Program is a distance learning program offered free of charge to the American public. It serves as both an alternate means to deliver valuable training to the professional and volunteer emergency management community, and an opportunity to improve public awareness and promote disaster preparedness nationally.

ISP Brochure	ISP Courses

For more information on CERT, please contact CERT Coordinator Jarad Hildenbrand at (714) 998-1500.