When a big disaster hits, the response of any community’s emergency services may be delayed or overwhelmed for a variety of reasons.

This leaves the citizens - family, neighbors, and co-workers - to provide for their own well-being and safety until professional responders arrive.

As a member of the community, you can help the City of Orange respond to a disaster by preparing your family, home, school, and work.

The Orange CERT program teaches a practical and proactive approach to emergencies, empowering residents to take action during the critical early stages of a disaster.

As a participant you will be educated on post-disaster realities with an emphasis on personal responsibility for preparedness and mitigation, with hands-on training in life-saving techniques.

CERT is a community-based volunteer effort and is a component of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and Citizen Corps program.

The official 20-hour CERT course includes sections on preparedness, fire safety, disaster medical operations, search and rescue, CERT organization, psychology, terrorism review and simulation.

All materials are provided and training is always FREE of charge.