MANATEE COUNTY, FL (Dec. 21, 2018) – Registration is now open for a free Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) course that begins next month. Manatee County residents and business owners, faith-based organizations, communities/neighborhoods and anyone who wants to be better prepared for common household emergencies can enroll.
The training is sponsored by Manatee County Emergency Management and will be taught by the Fire Academy at Manatee Technical College, 5530 Lakewood Ranch Boulevard. Course dates are Mondays from 6 – 9 p.m. Jan. 28, Feb. 4, 11, 25, March 4 and 11. A final day of training and graduation will be held Saturday, March 16 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
To enroll in the course, you must first register for a FEMA Student Identification number online and for a State Emergency Response Team Training Resources and Activity Center profile. Once those steps have been taken, participants can register here.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Community Emergency Response Team Program trains individuals to prepare for common household emergencies. The CERT Program offers training in basic skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, and disaster medical operations. With proper CERT training, you can help protect your family, neighbors and co-workers if a disaster occurs. There are over 2,700 local CERT programs nationwide, with more than 600,000 individuals trained since CERT became a national program.
For more information on Manatee County Government, visit www.mymanatee.org or call (941) 748-4501. You can also follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/manatee.county.fl and on Twitter, @ManateeGov.