City program to offer emergency response training for parents and teens

The start of a new year represents a good time for families, schools and businesses to revisit their emergency plans, stock up on supplies and seek out best practices.

To that end, the City of Irvine’s Community Emergency Response Team, or CERT, is offering another 11-session training program for moms and dads of school-age children -- as well as a separate 12-day program for teens. The hands-on course for parents, focusing on such topics as personal and family preparedness, fire suppression, first aid and light search and rescue, will be held from 9 to 11:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, beginning April 14 and wrapping up on May 19. The teen program will cover similar topics from 3:15 to 5 p.m. every Monday through Thursday from Feb. 4 through Feb. 26. The idea behind CERT is to prepare citizens to help themselves, their families and their neighbors in the event of a major catastrophic event. To receive certification in each course, participants must attend all of the sessions, which will be staged at the Irvine Police Department headquarters, Orange County Fire Authority Station No. 6 and Irvine City Hall. You can learn more by clicking on the flier to the right, and you can get enrollment information by emailing CERT@cityofirvine.org or calling 949-714-7054. Space is limited, so don’t wait too long if you’re interested. Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about the Irvine Unified School District’s emergency planning efforts, take a look at this recently updated Emergency Preparedness webpage. You’ll find information on emergency communications, lockdown training, Comprehensive Safe School Plans and more.