Your Passport to Disaster Preparedness Training
These pages are a source of information about training that will better prepare you to help yourself, your family, and your community durring a disaster.
There is a great deal of training available from numerous sources. To help you keep track of your training, CERPP has developed a passport sized guide called the "CERPP Personal Training Passport." You can get your own passport at most CERPP events or we can send you one in the mail.
[Request a Personal Training Passport by Mail.]
Here are some quick links to various topics on this page
Personal and Family Preparedness
Neighborhood Preparedness
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training
First Aid and other Medical Training
CERPP Sponsored Classes
American Red Cross Disaster Services Training
FEMA Online Independent Study Classes
Disaster Communications
Personal and Family Preparedness
Personal and family preparedness is the foundation on which all disaster preparedness rests.
Out-of-Area Contact
An out-of-area contact is a friend or relative that lives out of state who is able to act as a point of contact for your immediate family and for friends and relatives in other parts of the country that may be concerned about you. Follow this link for additional information and hints about establishing an out-of-area contact: Out of Area Contact
Family Evacuation Plan
Your family should have na evacuation plan. The most likely cause for an evacuation in our community would be a large fire. Your family should plan how you would evacuate your home, potentially on very short notice. You should plan on meeting at a friend or relatives home in a nearby community where you will be able to monitor the situation by television or radio. You should also make a check list of important things to do or to take with you when you evacuate. Follow this link for additional information about creating a family evacuation plan: Family Evacuation Plan
Emergency Kits
Because a disaster can occur anytime, you should have a small emergency kit in each of your cars, in addition to the emergency supplies you keep at home. Follow this link for more information on home and car emergency kits: Emergency Kits
Most neighborhoods in the Woodside Fire Protection District, have neighborhood disaster plans, and people that take an active role in neighborhood disaster preparedness.
You should meet with your neighbors periodically to review the neighborhood's disaster plans. You should get to know the disaster leaders in your neighborhood. And you should know where to go to check in with your neighbors during a disaster. To learn who to contact in your neighborhood, click the following link, and fill out the request form.
[Who are my neighborhood disaster preparedness leaders?]
Many neighborhoods use small inexpensive Family Radio Service (FRS) radios for short range radio communications during a disaster. You need to know the channel and tone code that your neighborhood plans to use.
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has developed a standardized set of training for Community Emergency Response Team members.
The Woodside and Portola Valley Citzens Emergency Response and Preparedness Program is a FEMA recognized CERT organization.
CERT training is offered periodically by CERPP and also by other nearby communities.
Unit 1: Disaster Preparedness
Unit 2: Fire Safety
Unit 3: Diaster Medical Operations Part 1
Unit 4: Diaster Medical Operations Part 2
Unit 5: Light Search and Rescue Operations
Unit 6: CERT Organization
Unit 7: Disaster Psychology
Unit 8: Terrorism and CERT
Generally people take all of the units together in a series of classes. Frequently the trainings include additional information that is specific to our community. However the standardized nature of the units allows you to fill in a unit you may have missed by attending another training class.
The next CERPP sponsored CERT class is planned for the Fall of 2006. Click the following link to sign up for an email notification once the details are settled.
[CERT Class Notification]
For more information on CERT Training in general visit FEMA's web pages at training.fema.gov/emiweb/CERT/
First Aid and other Medical Training
During a large regional disaster lake an earthquake the emergency medical system will be overwhelmed, and it is unlikely that your call for medical assistance will be answered in the usual rapid time frame.
It is important for neighborhoods to be able to provide first aid to neighbors that may have been injured. To provide first aid you need training.
The Woodside Fire Protection District provides Basic First Aid and CPR classes throughout the year. also, the typically offer a First Responder level class once a year. Follow this link for their current schedule of classes.
WFPD First Aid & CPS Classes
Additionally the local chapters of the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association offer a rich selection of first aid and CPR classes.
American Red Cross -- Bay Area Chapter, Palo Alto Chapter
CERPP offers several classes to introduce our community members to the local disaster preparedness programs and out plans during local disasters.
Introduction to CERPP
The Introduction to CERPP class is an excelent entry point for someone that is just getting involved with local disaster preparedness and response activities. This class is offered on a community wide basis several times a year. It can also be taught at an evening gathereing of a few neighbors and is often presented along with a neighborhood organizing meeting in a local home. Click the following link to request a class for your neighborhood or to get an email notification as classes are scheduled. [Introduction to CERPP Class]
Order from Chaos
The Order from Chaos class is an orientation for members of our community interested in participating on a neighborhood or division leadership team. This class is offered on a community wide basis several times a year. It can also be taught at the request of a CERPP division. Click the following link to request a class for your division or to get an email notification as classes are scheduled.
[Order from Chaos Class]
Community Search and Rescue
Our Community Search and Rescue Class is designed to teach skills you will likely need after a major earthquake. The class will teach the following topics:
The next Community Search and Rescue class will be offered in the Spring of 2006. Click the following link to to get an email notification when class details are known.
[Community Search And Rescue Class]
Using the CERPP Radio Comunications System
For information about the CERPP Radio Classes see the Disaster Communications section of this page.
Other Classes
CERPP occasionally offeres other special classes. Check back with these web pages or join the CERPP Yahoo Group to learn about these classes.
American Red Cross Disaster Services Training
Red Cross disaster relief focuses on meeting people’s immediate emergency disaster-caused needs. When a disaster threatens or strikes, the Red Cross provides shelter, food, and health and mental health services to address basic human needs. In addition to these services, the core of Red Cross disaster relief is the assistance given to individuals and families affected by disaster to enable them to resume their normal daily activities independently.
The Red Cross also feeds emergency workers, handles inquiries from concerned family members outside the disaster area, provides blood and blood products to disaster victims, and helps those affected by disaster to access other available resources.
To meet these needs the Red Cross offers a number of Disaster Services Training Courses. For information about courses in the local area visit:
American Red Cross -- Bay Area Chapter, Palo Alto Chapter
CERPP would recommend the following courses:
Introduction to Disaster Services
Disaster Assessment
Logistics
Mass Care
Shelter Operations
Shelter Simulation
FEMA Online Independent Study Classes
The Fedral Emergency Management Agency has developed many excelent independent study courses available by mail or via an internet download. Here is a list of a few classes you might find relavent:
For more information about FEMA's courses visit http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/
Radio communications plays an essential roll in disaster response. CERPP offers training classes for using both of the CERPP radio communications networks.
These classes are occasionally taught on a community wide pre scheduled basis, but more often they are taught at the request of a neighborhood or division.Click the following link to to get an email notification when class details are known, or to request a class for your neighborhood or division.
[CERPP Communications Class]
Amateur radio operators also play a vital roll in disaster communications. To become an amateur radio operator you must pass an exam. Local training classes followed by the exam are taught quarterly. For more information visit:
Once you have you Amateur Radio license, consider attending the Introduction to Amateur Radio & Emergency Communications class.