Two hands-on training sessions will be required to complete the course

PASO ROBLES — In the event of a large-scale disaster, such as a wildfire, earthquake, or flood, the fire department, law enforcement, and emergency medical services will respond immediately. However, it is likely that they will be overwhelmed by the number of calls, and if your home is threatened or a family member injured, it may be hours before help will arrive. Would you know what to do?

The North San Luis Obispo County Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) program is offering the CERT Basic Training class, which teaches you basic disaster response skills so you can safely help yourself and those around you. You will learn how to prepare for disasters, about the CERT organization, basic first aid, the psychology of disaster, how to extinguish small fires, procedures safely and properly for conducting structure search and rescue, and about terrorism and hazardous materials.

Individuals who have completed CERT training have been involved in flood and tsunami watches, searches for missing persons, traffic and crowd management, emergency radio communications, wildfire fuel reduction programs, and disaster recovery efforts.

This is an online class with two in-class, practical skills days. You can access it on your mobile device or computer and complete it at your own pace and your convenience.

You may register for this class by going to northslocountycert.org and clicking on the Register at Eventbrite button. After you register, you will receive an email containing instructions on how to begin the online video instruction. There will be two in-class, hands-on practical portions of the training, one on Saturday, Jul. 17, from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. and the other on Saturday, Aug. 14, from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Attendance at both in-class training sessions is required to complete the course.

Take this course, and learn how to prepare for, and protect yourself, your loved ones, and your community when disaster strikes.