FREE TRAINING: Community Emergency Response Training (CERT)

We can’t predict the next disaster for Kansas City, but we can prepare for it!

Are you ready for the next disaster? Floods, heat waves, tornados and other emergencies are a fact of life. Learn what you can do to help before, during and after the disaster we hope never happens and the smaller emergencies that happen every day. Classes are offered FREE of charge to people who are age 18 and over who live or work in Kansas City, Mo.

CERT training is designed to help individuals prepare themselves and assist family members and neighbors in the immediate aftermath of a major emergency. CERT participants will learn how to prepare a family disaster plan and emergency kit, manage utilities and put out small fires, provide basic medical aid, conduct a light search and rescue, organize themselves and spontaneous volunteers to be effective, identify and address disaster psychology issues, and much more. The class emphasizes hands on practice and concludes with a full functional exercise. The CERT series consists of six classes as follows:

Unit 1: Disaster Preparedness

Unit 2: Fire Safety and Natural Gas Presentation

Unit 3 & 4: Disaster Medical 1 and 2

Unit 5 & 6: Light Search & Rescue and Team Organization

Unit 7 & 8: Terrorism and Disaster Psychology

Final Full Scale Exercise

Total class time is 24 hours. Classes can be delivered as 6 four-hour sessions or 3 eight-hour sessions.

Classes are scheduled throughout the year and special classes can be arranged for groups of 15 or more. Once a disaster strikes, it’s too late to prepare. Learn basic skills now before the next emergency. Seating is limited.

You can register for a class and get more detailed information by contacting the Kansas City, MO CERT Coordinator, Jennifer Fales, at 784-9304 or by email at Jennifer_Fales@kcmo.org.

Emergency Management is proud to partner with the Fire Department, Police Department, Public Health Department and Missouri Gas Energy to provide experienced responders as instructors and exercise controllers.

For more information, please see CERT Frequently Asked Questions.