Emergency Response training begins soon

Community Emergency Response Team training will be on Wednesdays from 7 to 9:30 p.m., Jan. 3 through Feb. 21 at the Moorpark Community Center Citrus Room, 799 Moorpark Ave.

The classes are sponsored by the city of Moorpark and the Ventura County Fire Department.

The course is free and open to men and women 18 years or older of all physical abilities. There are no residency requirements, although priority is given to people who live or work in Ventura County.

This will mark the third CERT class since its inception in 2005. There are 22 certified CERT members in Moorpark and hundreds more in the Ventura County area.

The class will be taught by Capt. Steve Lazenby of the Santa Paula Fire Department, a professional emergency responder with more than 20 years of front line experience.

Participants who successfully complete the course are certified by the county of Ventura.

The curriculum includes disaster preparedness, fire safety and suppression, disaster medicaloperations assessment and treatment, life threatening injuries, light search and rescue operations, disaster psychology and terrorism overview.

“We are offering Community Emergency Response Team courses,” Brand said, “to train people to take care of themselves and then to help others in their communities for the first three days following a disaster. This is when debris-clogged or damaged roads, disrupted communications or high volume of calls may prevent access by traditional emergency response personnel.

“The purpose of CERT training is to provide citizens with the basic skills required to handle virtually all of their own needs and then to be able to respond to their communities’ needs in the aftermath of a disaster. CERT members will selfdeploy in our neighborhoods for up to 72 hours until traditional help can arrive.”

“One of the most important functions of the CERT team during a disaster,” Brand said, “will be managing and directing the untrained volunteers who arrive at a disaster scene and want to be of assistance . . . Our goal is to establish CERT teams in many Moorpark neighborhoods.”

For a registration form and informational brochure, call Brand at (805) 517-6248 or e-mail jbrand@ci.moorpark.ca.us.

Training applications can be picked up at Moorpark City Hall, 799 Moorpark Ave. during business hours on weekdays or downloaded at www.ci.moorpark.ca.us.