MALIBU—The city of Malibu has announced on its website that the next CERT training classes are scheduled for Thursday evenings beginning January 11. The classes will be held on January 11, January 18 and January 25, and February 1, February 6 (Tuesday), February 15 and February 24 (Saturday). All classes will be held at Malibu City Hall, with weeknight classes beginning at 6:00 p.m. and the final class on Saturday, February 24, starting at 9:00 a.m.

CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) is an acclaimed program of free courses administered by the city and public safety agencies that empowers citizens to provide assistance during disasters.

The CERT program was initiated in 1985 by the Los Angeles City Fire Department to provide basic training in safety and lifesaving skills to the general public. It has since been adopted and enhanced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Fire Academy. The course is now recognized nationwide, and over 50,000 citizens have been trained to date.

At its regular meeting on August 28, 2017, the Malibu City Council adopted Resolution No. 17-32, which established the CERT Program Guidelines, clarifying the role and responsibilities of the Malibu CERT Team by outlining the requirements to become a member of the team, organizational structure, team responsibilities, ongoing participation requirements, and activation procedures.

Participants are trained in basic first aid, fire suppression, and search and rescue, to be prepared to provide emergency assistance to their families and neighbors, during disaster situations where professional public safety services may not be immediately available to respond. Factors, such as communications failures, road blockages, and the number of victims, may prevent people from accessing the emergency services they have come to expect at a moment’s notice when 911 is called.

CERT classes contain the following modules:

-Disaster Preparedness

-Fire Suppression

-Medical Class #1

-Medical Class #2

-Light Search and Rescue

-Terrorism

-Team Organization and Disaster Psychology

-Course Review and Disaster Simulation Drill

To register for the January/February course or for additional information, contact Public Safety Manager Susan Dueñas at 310-456-2489 ext. 313 or SDuenas@MalibuCity.org.