Berkeley offers free disaster readiness, basic first aid training

Berkeley CERT training, May 2013. File photo: Emilie Raguso

Berkeley is offering free disaster readiness training for anyone looking to shore up safety precautions in their neighborhoods or just learn a little more about first aid and disaster response.

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training begins this month and will repeat throughout the year, according to the city’s website.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds the CERT program nationwide. Local agencies, like the Berkeley Fire Department in this case, administer the training itself, which is tailored to local hazards. Berkeley attendees, for example, will learn about wildfire and earthquake preparedness.

The classes are broken down into seven units:

Disaster preparedness, including for wildfires, earthquakes and tsunamis CERT organization and emergency response practice Disaster medical operations, part 1: Airway obstruction, bleeding, shock, stabilizing victims, basic first aid Disaster medical operations, part 2: Medical triage, basic first aid, evaluating wounds and injuries and some basic treatments Disaster mental health, to prepare for the realities of disasters and their aftermaths Fire safety, utility shutoffs, fire extinguisher practice, classifying fires Light search and rescue (attendees must first take both disaster medical operations classes)

“Each of these 3- to 4-hour-long classes will be offered four times in person in 2025, with evening and weekend sessions available,” according to the city’s website. Training is in person at 997 Cedar Street.

“You can take any number of the seven different classes in this series, but those who take the entire series will have the opportunity to become certified by the Berkeley Fire Department to educate and organize others, further building the resiliency of their own neighborhoods and Berkeley as a whole,” according to the announcement.

Classes are open to anyone 18 or older who lives or works in Berkeley. Some of the class units include some physical exertion. The course is free but space is limited.

The city asks that attendees register online in advance of each class they hope to take. Registration for each unit opens a month before the date of the class. Some upcoming units have already filled up.