BE PREPARED FOR THE NEXT EARTHQUAKE

January 6, 2010 (El Cajon) - Two moderate earthquakes this week were felt in San Diego, reminding us of the importance of being prepared.  One way to learn how to prepare for a disaster is to enroll in one of two upcoming East County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) academies. The dates for free 2010 (CERT) disaster preparedness classes are listed below, and on the El Cajon Fire Department website at www.elcajonfire.com.

Academy - #1 – Space Available
February 6 - Disaster preparedness/CERT organization
February 20 - Disaster Medical/Triage
March 6 - Fire Extinguishers/Light Search and Rescue classroom
March 20 - Fire Extinguishers/Light Search and Rescue hands on – *At HTF
April 3 - Disaster Psychology/Hazardous Materials/ Terrorism
April 17 - All inclusive manipulative/review – *At HTF

Academy - #2 – Space Available
May 22 - Disaster preparedness/CERT organization
June 5 - Disaster Medical/Triage
June 19 - Extinguishers/Light Search and Rescue classroom – (two week break)
July 10 - Fire Extinguishers/Light Search and Rescue hands on - *At HTF
July 24 - Disaster Psychology/Hazardous Materials/Terrorism
August 7 - All inclusive manipulative/review – *At HTF

These classes are held on Saturday mornings from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Class location for registered CERT students is 8054 Allison Avenue, at Heartland Fire Station 11 in the City of La Mesa. If you would like to register please call (619) 441-1737. Please leave your name and best contact phone number. The Heartland Training Facility (HTF) location is 1301 N. Marshal Avenue in El Cajon for the hands on training.

Classes are limited to 35 to 40 participants per academy, ages 16 and up. For safety concerns, we ask you do not bring babies or children to these classes. Any classes missed may be made up during the following academy. Members of the Heartland Fire and Rescue Department and Santee Fire Department teach these classes. Visit www.elcajonfire.com for more information about CERT.