Oxnard citizens rely on the Fire Department to arrive in less than four minutes after calling 911. If that same call were to be made following a disaster (earthquake, etc.), history has shown us that help may be hours or even days away. To help Oxnard citizens be prepared for such an occurrence, the Fire Department is offering Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training.

For five weeks, one night a week from 6 P.M. to 9 P.M., students receive classroom and hands on training. The CERT instruction begins by teaching personal preparedness and how to organize a neighborhood team. Then lessons on fire prevention and suppression, and search and rescue techniques are given to citizens. Medical operations training includes triage procedures, bandaging, recognizing shock and how to maintain an open airway on the victims they will encounter. These five hour training sessions are followed by a three-hour mock disaster drill and graduation ceremony at the Fire Department's Training Facility.

Besides being able to help themselves and their neighbors in the event of a disaster, students take way with them the skills and confidence needed to help deal with life's everyday emergencies.

• This training is provided FREE to all Oxnard residents
• Session 1: Disaster Preparedness
  Disasters and their impact on the comunity. Disaster Psychology and decision making are also discussed.
• Session 2: Disaster Fire Suppression
  Fire chemistry, hazards, suppression, resources, and techniques.
• Session 3: Disaster Medical Operations
  Treatment strategies for life-threatening conditions, triage, head to toe assessments, establishing a treatment site, and simple first aid procedures.
• Session 4: Disaster Medical Operations
  Treatment strategies for life-threatening conditions, triage, head to toe assessments establishing a treatment site, and simple first aid procedures.
• Session 5: Light Search & Rescue
  Priorities (Rescuer Safety), resources, size-up techniques, cribbing, victim removal and limitations of (Rescuer Safety).
• Session 6: Drill Exercise and Graduation
  Course Review and Disaster Simulation exercises, and Graduation Ceremony