EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

Introduction

The Alameda County Fire Department offers a variety of trainings to provide community members with the tools and resources to become better prepared and self-sufficient during a large scale emergency or disaster.

Whether you are able to spend two hours or 20 hours becoming better prepared for the next emergency, we encourage you to review the descriptions of our emergency preparedness trainings and participate in the program that best suits your needs.

To schedule a 60 to 90 minute Personal Emergency Preparedness (PEP) class for your group or sign up for CERT classes, please contact Emergency Preparedness at (925) 833-3473 ext. 1721 or (510) 632-3473 ext. 1721 or via email at cert@acgov.org.

To find out more information about upcoming emergency preparedness trainings and workshops and/or to register, please visit www.acfdcert.eventbrite.com.

Personal Emergency Preparedness (PEP) Workshop
Families or loved ones may not be together in an emergency, so it is important to plan in advance. Attend this highly interactive, two-hour workshop to learn how to be better prepared as an individual or family. Topics will include what to do before, during and after an earthquake. Discussions will be on how to make a family plan, build an emergency kit and what items should be included and the proper way to store it. The workshop will also teach basic prevention or mitigation strategies that you can do in your home to protect your family and valuables.

To schedule a Personal Emergency Preparedness (PEP) workshop for your group, ranging in length from an hour to an hour and a half, please contact Emergency Preparedness at (925) 833-3473 ext. 1721 or (510) 632-3473 ext. 1721 or via email at cert@acgov.org.

Disasters are major events that can strike anywhere and at any time. In a disaster, traditional “911” and First Responder capabilities such as fire, police, paramedics, and utility personnel will be overwhelmed and unable to immediately assist individuals. Professional emergency response may be delayed for hours, even days. Of necessity, it is important for the community to assist first responders in their neighborhood. Preparing individuals and residents is vital in community preparedness and resiliency. Neighbors that are prepared are more effective in their response to a disaster and have increased capacity to be self-sufficient for the first 72 hours after a disaster. ACFDCERTOverview.pdf (PDF – 209 kb)

  1. What is CERT?The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) began promoting nationwide use of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) concept in 1994 from the model created by the Los Angeles City Fire Department. Since then, CERT programs have been established in hundreds of communities nationwide. The purpose of CERT is to train people living in Alameda County to take care of themselves, their families and their neighbors in the event of a disaster.
  2. Why Do We Need CERT?After several large scale disasters such as 9/11, the Oakland Hills Fire and the Loma Prieta earthquake, there was a realization that not all emergency services personnel will be able to reach everyone right away. By attending CERT training classes, you will learn the skills to help save lives and protect property. As a CERT team member, you can participate in disaster drills and exercises and help your community that you live in by volunteering.
  3. Who teaches CERT?CERT members are taught by Alameda County Fire Department personnel and its Reserves. CERT members are taught basic fire suppression, utility control, light search and rescue, triage and shock treatment. Other topics include putting together your own disaster kit, disaster psychology and disaster incident management. The training involves attending all six evening sessions for a total of ~20 hours. The training format is lectures, interactive skills based training and it concludes with a hands-on exercise to practice the skills that were just learned.
  4. Who can be a CERT member? Anyone who is at least 18 years of age or older can participate. CERT is ideal for organized community groups such as Neighborhood Watch, homeowner’s associations, community based organizations, civic or advocacy groups, condominium owners and dense urban housing complex residents.

To find out more information about how you or your group can sign up for an upcoming CERT training, please contact Emergency Preparedness at (925) 833-3473 ext. 1721 or (510) 632-3473 ext. 1721 or via email at cert@acgov.org .

As a public service employee, you are designated as a Disaster Service Worker (DSW). That means, by law, you have the responsibility to help in the response and recovery efforts of your government employer.

This DSW video is to help you understand the organization’s role during a disaster, your role as a DSW, and how to prepare you and your family in advance so when the time comes, you will be ready to assist.As a public service employee, you are designated as a Disaster Service Worker (DSW). That means, by w, you have the responsibility to help in the response and recovery efforts of your government employer.

This DSW video is to help you understand the organization’s role during a disaster, your role as a DSW, and how to prepare you and your family in advance so when the time comes, you will be ready to assist.

Link to video

To get additional information regarding Disaster Service Worker or Emergency Operations Center training, please call (925) 833-3473 x1720 or (510) 632-3473 x1720 or contact your City of interest directly.

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