ONLINE CERT COURSES
The LAFD CERT program has just restarted their classes! Click to see the CERT Class Schedule. All events will follow Covid safety guidelines & LA City protocols. For other training, CERT training using FEMA’s Independent Study online training is available. FEMA offers a wide variety of really interesting courses, most of which can be completed online in an evening. To begin with CERT training, check-out IS-317.A, Introduction to CERT and a new one, IS-315.A, CERT and the Incident Command System. Go to: FEMA Online CERT Courses
CERT Breaking News!
New LAFD CERT classes start now!Request LAFD CERT Training, Booth or Presentation
Ready Your LA Neighborhood (RYLAN)
Preparedness Information in 20 Other Languages
Sign-up for LAFD CERT Email Notices from your Battalion/Bureau Once you know your CERT Bureau, just scroll down that page, and click on the button. You will be taken to a form to fill-out and submit.CERT-LA Calendars (with separate links to specific categories of events & classes.)
LAFD CERT Statistics
- Month and year the CERT Program was started: June 1986
- CERT Program conducts the CERT Basic Training Course on average: 70 times a year.
- Number of CERT classes that have graduated since the program started: 970
- Number of individuals who have completed CERT Basic Training Course since the program started: 57,000
What is CERT?
If a major earthquake (or any disaster) hits, do you …
- have enough supplies for a minimum of 72 hours up to an entire month for all family members, including pets?
- know how to turn off the gas?
- know how to safely turn off the power?
- know how to apply first aid?
- have enough water for all of your family and your pets?
- have provisions for living outside your home for a length of time if the structure is compromised?
It is important to know, if a major disaster occurs, the LAFD, paramedics, police…WILL NOT COME! They will be deployed FIRST to major incidents such as collapsed buildings. That is why you constantly hear…You MUST be prepared to take care of yourself. In the CERT course they say…“The Greatest Good for the Greatest Number of People.” When you are trained, you are far more equipped to deal with your circumstances without needing aid from outside sources.
CERT members are trained in basic disaster response skills such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization and disaster medical operations. You will learn how to prepare for emergencies, what supplies you should NOW have in your house, how much food, how much water but most importantly, how to protect your family in an emergency!
Sign-up for the FREE Training
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program is an all-risk, all-hazard training. This valuable course is designed to help you protect yourself, your family, your neighbors and your neighborhood in an emergency situation.
CERT members receive 17 1/2 hours (one day a week for seven weeks) of initial training.
CERT is provided free of charge within the city of Los Angeles to anyone 18 or over.
Classes are taught year-round, Monday-Friday, morning, afternoon, or evening. We will come to your location. Classes can be held anywhere in the City of Los Angeles. Classes outside of LA City require special preapproval.
For the latest classes, CLICK HERE! to get full information.
To schedule a class for your group, you need a minimum of 20 people to be trained and a location to hold the training. Then call the LAFD Community Emergency Response Team Unit at 213-202-3136.
LAFD CERT Drill at Hansen Dam, Los Angeles, CA
Here is a great example of just one of the drills the LAFD CERT Unit performs in their constant training. Have you taken the CERT training? If so, you can also participate in any of the year-round drills. For information on Drills, Refreshers, and of course the first level CERT training, please visit: https://www.cert-la.com/eventbrite.
Video by John Gilbert, a.c.e.
Get all the latest CERT member news and information regarding your Battalions, Refreshers, Levels 2 & 3 classes, signing up for email updates, and call-outs. You will also be able to read the latest posts from our LAFD CERT Captains and our Coordinators!
LAFD CERT Headquarters – Latest Articles, Updates, & News!
Welcome new CERT Commander, Captain Hurtado
We welcome Captain Frank Hurtado as our new Los Angeles CERT Commander! Captain Hurtado, with 27 years of dedicated service to the Los Angeles City Fire Department, brings a wealth of experience, knowledge, and training to our team. READ THE ARTICLE
Farewell and Appreciation, Captain Dustin Gates
Captain Gates was promoted to Captain II several months back. He was assigned to the CERT Command for only 1.5 years, however he shall always be a legacy. As you embark on the next chapter of your remarkable career, we would like express sincere appreciation for your dedicated service with the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) CERT Unit!!! READ THE ARTICLE
CERT Valley Bureau Go-Bag Meeting January 2024
We had a fantastic turn-out for our annual meeting to review Go Bags, Home Kits, Pet Kits, etc. At the meeting, we discussed what we need in our Go Bags for home, car and work. We reviewed ideas from SOS and our fellow community members and were reminded to replace expired items in our kits and batteries in our smoke detectors.
Here were some other review topics:
- Do you have enough water bottles or containers on […]
Non-Discrimination Policy
The LAFD CERT Training only conducts non-discriminatory classes. Non-discrimination includes race, religion, gender, and group affiliations.
As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. For additional information, please contact the Los Angeles Fire Department, Community Emergency Response Team Unit, at 213-202-3136 (Voice), 213-473-7704 (TDD), or email: lafdcert@lacity.org.