Pleasant Hill is divided into four different areas, each of which has a primary meeting location and at least one alternate meeting location.  Refer to the large map to find your area.

You will have several opportunities to further your skills and to network with neighbors who are fellow CERT grads. Each month, there will be a meeting hosted by one of the Pleasant Hill CERT Area Coordinators. At this meeting you will meet fellow grads and there will be a hands-on teaching point from the CERT course to refresh your skills. Quarterly, there will be a Saturday morning 3 1/2 hour hands-on training session geared toward a CERT skill not taught in the class. Annually, there will be a citywide exercise that simulates a CERT response to a local disaster. All of these will be announced on this website.

The training program covers the following subjects:

• Emergency Preparedness – The class starts with a review of recent disasters and emergencies; Discussion on disasters and the role of Disaster Service Workers; The impact a disaster has on the community infrastructure; Identifying structural and nonstructural hazards; Hazard mitigation; Home and Workplace Preparedness, Community Preparedness and Protections for Disaster Service Workers

• Fire Safety – You will learn about fire chemistry; reducing fire hazards in your home and workplace; identify different types of hazardous materials; how to size up a fire and how to address it safely.

• Emergency Medical Operations – You will learn about public health considerations; how to setup and operate a field medical operations; triage victims; conduct head to toe assessments; treat burns; treat and splint broken bones, sprains and strains; care for wounds and treat hypothermia

• Light Search and Rescue – You will learn how to determine if a structure is safe to enter; conduct search operations and rescue operations.

• The CERT Organization – You will learn about how the CERT Organization functions during a disaster and how it integrates with local governmental agencies; CERT decision making and the documentation required for every event

• Disaster Psychology – Disasters can take a heavy toll on both rescuers and victims. You will learn techniques for self and team well-being and how to work with survivor’s trauma

• Terrorism and CERT – There will be class discussion on: What is Terrorism; Terrorist Targets; Types of Weapons used; Techniques for observing your surrounding and the environment; preparing at home and work; and CERT and Terrorist Incidents

Many of the skills learned in the classroom will be reinforced during a final exercise that allows students to apply their newly learned skills during a simulated disaster situation.

The training is held at the Boy Scouts of America District Conference Room at 800 Ellinwood Way, Pleasant Hill.

The program’s classes are held once a week for seven consecutive weeks with a half-day hands-on exercise held on a following Saturday.