Be Prepared and Not Scared For Disasters, Learn How to Help Yourself, Your Family, Your Neighbors

The Community Emergency Response Training overview program on Saturday, June 11 is a chance to be better prepared to assist community members in an emergency. The overview program will include disaster medical training, disaster preparedness, fire suppression and light search and recovery training. 

“We want you prepared and not scared for our next disaster” the Pasadena Fire Department tweeted about the training program on Saturday. 

Saturday’s training will be held from 8 a.m. to 12 noon at Marshall Fundamental School, at 990 Allen Ave. in Pasadena.

Pasadena City Councilmember Felicia Williams, the Pasadena Fire Department and the City Manager’s Office will conduct the Community Emergency Response Training overview.

Lisa Derderian, the City’s Emergency Response Manager, said this type of training is a four-hour overview of what goes on during the full 21-hour Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training. 

“Thousands have taken the CERT overview that Councilmembers offer that is a 4-hour “taste of” for the full 21-hour course. We commend Councilmembers Williams for taking the lead to host this course after so much has been shut down the past two years.”

“We basically train residents to help in their respective neighborhoods before, during and after a disaster but do have a small but mighty core group of CERT volunteers who help at events such as vaccination clinics, conduct presentations and assist where needed to help other city departments,” Derderian said. 

The class is limited to 100 people and residents of District 2 are given priority. Derderian hopes the next full-course CERT training will follow soon in Pasadena. 

“We like our participants to be at least 18 years old but have offered to younger groups,” Derderian said. “We’d appreciate the opportunity to work with PUSD (Pasadena Unified School District) and their staff to get them trained.  We hope to offer the full course in the near future and we open it up to the community and not specific businesses.”

To register for the training or for more information, contact Darla Dyson at ddyson@cityofpasadena.net or call (626) 744-4742. 

For more information, visit www.cityofpasadena.net/fire/community-programs/community-emergency-response-team.