Week One
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS: Discussion of various types of major emergencies that may affect South Florida. Familiarization with the Emergency Management System and the process of disaster recovery. Other concepts include “post storm” team operations, facing problems in organizing teams under emergency conditions and operating a neighborhood “command post.” Learn about disaster psychology, damage assessment and documentation.
DISASTER FIRE SUPPRESSION: Learn about basic fire suppression strategies, team and personal safety considerations, fire chemistry, hazardous materials, and fire hazards. The class focus is sizing up the situation, the safe use of fire extinguishers, extinguishing a small fire, and controlling utilities.
Week Two
DISASTER MEDICAL OPERATIONS: Participants practice diagnosing and treating airway obstruction, bleeding, and shock by using simple triage and rapid treatment techniques. Also students learn the concepts of evaluating patients by doing a head to toe assessment, establishing a medical treatment area, performing basic first aid, and practicing in a safe and sanitary manner.
Week Three
LIGHT SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATIONS: Participants learn about search and rescue planning, size-up, search techniques, rescue techniques, and most important, rescuer safety.
DISASTER PSYCHOLOGY AND TEAM ORGANIZATION: Students learn the signs and symptoms that might be experienced by the disaster victim and worker, CERT organization and management principles and the need for documentation.
Week Four
TERRORISM: Participants are introduced to the concept of terrorism as it applies to CERT.
COURSE REVIEW: Participants review their answers from a take home examination.
DISASTER SIMULATION: Practical (hands on) experience which requires the student to utilize the skills learned over the past four weeks of class, including fire suppression, first aid, triage, and search and rescue.
