American Red Cross training opportunities:

October Disaster Training
Bulk Distribution

Learn how to handle bulk distribution during a disaster. This course provides classroom instruction and provides students the opportunity to learn how to handle real world situations. A great course to add to your Disaster Services resume!

When:     Saturday October 29th
Time:       9:00am-12:30pm
Location: Pensacola Chapter Office
                222 N. Baylen St., Pensacola, FL 32507

To register please contact John Murray at Murrayj@usa.redcross.org.

Shelter Training

When:      Wednesday, November 16th at 9am (4hrs)

Where:    Santa Rosa County Emergency Operations Center (EOC)*

No prerequisite to attend. No need to sign up in advance. Just arrive at the scheduled time.

* 4499 Pine Forest Road, Milton, FL  32583  
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When a hurricane or disaster strikes, many people want to help their families, neighbors and others in the community, particularly when professional emergency responders are unavailable or overwhelmed. Area residents now have the opportunity to learn emergency medical operations, light search and rescue, fire safety and more, at no cost.

The Navarre Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) conducts training from time to time throughout the year. The next class will take place at Holley-Navarre's Fire Station #45, 8618 Esplanade St., Navarre. Dates and times:

• Friday, Sept. 16, 2011 – 1800-2130 (6:00pm - 9:30 pm)
• Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011 – 0800-1700 (8:00am-5:00pm)
• Sunday, Sept. 18, 2011 – 1300-1700 (1:00pm-5:00pm)
• Friday, Sept. 23, 2011 – 1800-2130 (6:00pm - 9:30pm)
• Saturday, Sept.24, 2011 – 0800-1700 (8:00am - 5:0pm)
• Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011 – 1300-1700 (1:00pm - 5:00pm)

Completion of the class does not create any obligation to become part of Navarre CERT. However, completion qualifies the student to be part of Navarre CERT or any Community Emergency Response Team in the country. There are also local CERTs in Midway Fire District, Gulf Breeze, Santa Rosa County, Escambia County and Okaloosa County. Upon successful completion of the course, the student receives a certificate as well as a CERT backpack, reflective vest, and other basic equipment/supplies that may be needed in an emergency. There are no charges for the training or materials.

The class takes place over the course of two weekends, and culminates in a "live" exercise (a simulated disaster) and a brief graduation ceremony. If you have not already done so, please fill out the CERT application at the Santa Rosa County CERT site. Then fill out the training registration form to be put on the list for the next class to be held. For more information, please e-mail us. If you do not have access to e-mail, please call (850) 936-5163.

Interesting FEMA Independent Study courses

Trained CERT members need to complete IS100 and IS700 to be NIMS compliant. None of the others are required. The first six are more "citizen" oriented. The link at the end of the list is the "brochure" which includes brief descriptions of the courses. There are no charges for any of these courses.

• IS-7A: A Citizen's Guide to Disaster Assistance
• IS-22: Are You Ready? An In-depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness
• IS-55: Household Hazardous Materials - A Guide for Citizens
• IS-271: Anticipating Hazardous Weather and Community Risk
• IS-324: Community Hurricane Preparedness
• IS-394.A: Protecting Your Home or Small Business from Disaster
• IS-5.A: Introduction to Hazardous Materials
• IS-10: Animals in Disaster: Awareness and Preparedness
• IS-100.b: (ICS 100) Introduction to Incident Command System
• IS-120.a: An Introduction to  Exercises
• IS-700: National Incident Management System (NIMS), An Introduction