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CERT Reference Guide
FEMA’s CERT Basic Training material in one place: the Participant Manual, the slides for all eight sections, a glossary of the terms and links to official field references.
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CERT Basic Training Participant Manual
FEMA, 2019 edition · 268 pages. The book every CERT Basic student works from, with all eight sections, the exercises and the forms.
CERT Basic Training
The eight sections
Each section's slides, to read on the page or download, with the slides' text written out below them.
Section 1Disaster PreparednessCommunity preparedness, local hazards and what a CERT does.Section 2Fire Safety and Utility ControlsFire chemistry, home hazards, size-up and putting out small fires.Section 3Disaster Medical Operations, Part 1Life-threatening conditions and triage.Section 4Disaster Medical Operations, Part 2Public health, assessments, treatment areas and first aid.Section 5Light Search and RescueSize-up, searching, debris removal and extrication.Section 6CERT OrganizationTeam structure, incident command and documentation.Section 7Disaster PsychologyEasing the emotional toll on survivors and rescuers.Section 8Terrorism and CERTRecognizing threats and what CERT does after an incident.
StudyCERT glossary216 terms with a definition and a note on why each matters, A to Z, by section or by agency, and the NATO phonetic alphabet.Beyond the courseField references56 links to official material from FEMA, NOAA, CISA, OSHA and more: hazard guides, live conditions, safety and family preparedness.
Course material: FEMA's CERT Basic Training (2019), in the public domain. For study only, not medical advice: in an emergency, call 911.