Courses

CERT TRAINING IN POLK COUNTY

Scroll down this page for Basic CERT courses as well as CERT Train the Trainer (TTT) and CPR Instructor Certification courses.

CERT Basic Course: Fall 2023

Fall Session: The Fall 2023 Basic CERT Course will be held October 3rd – 26th, on Tuesday and Thursday Evenings, from 6 pm to 9 pm, plus a 3 hour final exercise on Saturday the 28th from 10 am to 1 pm. The training location is at Western Oregon University’s Welcome Center, room 130. Parking is available in lot O, directly in front of the building.

The course is free and is appropriate for ages 14 and up. There are no required books or hidden fees, everything you need will be provided for you.

There is no requirement to join the team in order to take the course. While we currently have several open spots on our team, we also understand the value of increasing our community’s number of trained spontaneous volunteers. Gaining the skills you need to help yourself, your family and your neighborhoods will make a huge difference during a large disaster

During the course, you will learn about risk factors and natural hazards both locally and across Oregon. You’ll also discover many ways that you can help your community both prepare for and recover from, natural disasters. The course modules are:

  • Local Awareness, Operational Realities, and Individual Preparedness
  • Light Fire Suppression and HAZMAT Awareness and Reporting
  • Mass Patient Triage
  • Mass Patient Treatment and Establishing Treatment Areas
  • Light Urban Search and Rescue
  • Team Communications
  • The Incident Command System and Documentation
  • Disaster Psychology
  • Terrorism Recognition and Individual Response Preparation
  • Practice Disaster Response in a Simulated Exercise

Sign up now for this free CERT Basic Course

Basic CERT Training is Free

The Basic CERT course is free and is appropriate for ages 14 and up. There are no required books or hidden fees. Everything you need will be provided for you.

We currently have several open spots on our team. However, we also understand the value of increasing our community’s number of trained spontaneous volunteers. Gaining the skills you need to help yourself, your family and your neighborhoods will make a huge difference during a large disaster. So, there is no requirement to join the team in order to take the course. During the course you will learn about risk factors and natural hazards both locally and across Oregon. You’ll also discover many ways that you can help your community both prepare for, and recover from, natural disasters.

During the course, you will learn about risk factors and natural hazards both locally and across Oregon. You’ll also discover many ways that you can help your community both prepare for and recover from, natural disasters.

Basic CERT Course Modules:

  • Local Awareness, Operational Realities, and Individual Preparedness
  • Light Fire Suppression and HAZMAT Awareness and Reporting
  • Mass Patient Triage
  • Mass Patient Treatment and Establishing Treatment Areas
  • Light Urban Search and Rescue
  • Team Communications
  • The Incident Command System and Documentation
  • Disaster Psychology
  • Terrorism Recognition and Individual Response Preparation
  • Practice Disaster Response in a Simulated Exercise

Basic CERT Course Structure

CERT-training-course2019Courses are structured in modular format and are delivered by experienced Instructors who are subject matter experts in their fields. Our Senior Instructional Team is comprised of 5 Instructors who have completed both Oregon OEM and FEMA CERT TTT coursework.  Our remaining 5 adult Instructors have completed Oregon OEM CERT TTT course deliveries and most are also certified Instructor/Trainers in Firefighting, EMS, Military, Law Enforcement and Public Education fields.  We currently have 1 Teen Instructor in our program.

The Basic CERT Course is the foundation course for the entire program and is required for Team Membership.  However, we strongly believe that improving our communities resiliency in the face of a disaster hinges upon providing this training to any, and every, citizen who desires to do so.  Therefore, the course is offered free of charge and team membership is NOT required.

While the Basic Course is offered 3 times each year as part of our training program, we are also able to accommodate community groups and organizations seeking dedicated deliveries to their members.

CERT Train the Trainer (TTT)

CERT-Train-the-TrainerCERT Train the Trainer (TTT) courses are held as needed. This is a great way to take the next step in preparing yourself, your family and your community to be resilient in the face of disaster.

Any current Polk County CERT members who would like to step up and take the class should contact Kimber Townsend for information on upcoming TTT courses.

Future Train the Trainer courses will be listed here.

CERT CPR Instructor Certification Class

cpr-instructor-certificationPolk CERT has partnered with Polk Fire to take on the delivery of CPR Training for our community and other first responder agencies as requested.

We are currently seeking CERT members who can commit to teaching at least one 8-hour course per month.

Contact Kimber Townsend to confirm the instructor certification course date(s).

Additional Course Deliveries Available Upon Request

  • G317 CERT Basic Course – Oregon OEM Sanctioned Statewide Delivery
  • G428 CERT Train The Trainer (TTT) – Oregon OEM Sanctioned Statewide Delivery
  • G427 CERT Program Manager – Oregon OEM Sanctioned Statewide Delivery
  • CERT Animal Response Modules 1 & 2
  • CERT Tools for Leadership Success
  • CERT Traffic and Crowd Management

Polk CERT Monthly Training Sessions

Polk CERT conducts monthly training classes. These are interactive training sessions where you will have the opportunity to train alongside other CERT members while developing your capabilities to respond effectively in a variety of emergency situations. These monthly training sessions are open for community members to participate in. Bring your family members, neighbors and associates. Introduce them to CERT and emergency preparedness. See the monthly training schedule.

EMI Self-Study Courses

Following are some selected courses from the EMI self-study portal.  Polk CERT members, please send certificates of completion to Kimber Townsend to get credit for the training hours.

Introduction to Hazardous Materials
https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-5.a 

Animals in Disaster: Awareness and Preparedness
https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-10.a

Animals in Disaster: Community Planning
https://training.fema.gov/IS/courseOverview.aspx?code=IS-11.a

Livestock in Disasters
https://training.fema.gov/IS/courseOverview.aspx?code=IS-111.a

CERT Supplemental Training: The Incident Command System
https://training.fema.gov/IS/courseOverview.aspx?code=IS-315

Planning for the Needs of Children in Disasters
https://training.fema.gov/IS/courseOverview.aspx?code=IS-366.a