The City of Houston Department of Neighborhoods Office of International Communities announces a series of Spanish language Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training sessions for individual residents, social service providers and community leaders.
Presented in collaboration with the City's Office of Emergency Management and Harris County Citizens Corps, the training will consist of eight training modules led by experts covering a full range of disaster preparedness topics. The final session will feature a mock drill, giving participants the opportunity to apply the knowledge and practice the skills they acquired through the training.
All participants who complete the eight-week training will receive a City of Houston and Harris County first aid training certificate, a CERT program identification card and an emergency response manual.
The training sessions will be held on Saturdays, from 9:00 a.m.to 12:00 p.m., at the Southwest Multi-Service Center, 6400 High Star, Houston 77074, as follows:
- July 21 -- Module 1: General Disaster Preparedness
- July 28 -- Module 2: Fire Safety & Suppression
- August 4 -- Module 3: Basic Medical Operations - Part 1
- August 18 -- Module 4: Basic Medical Operations - Part 2
- September 15 -- Module 5: Light Search & Rescue
- September 22 -- Module 6/7: Incident Command System/Disaster Psychology
- September 29 -- Module 8: Terrorism Awareness
- October 6 --Mock Search and Rescue Drill
The July 21 opening session will provide participants with an overview of disaster and emergency preparedness. The session will feature presentations by Marni Rosen, City of Houston CERT Coordinator, Mayor's Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security; Captain Homero Ponce-Lopez, HFD (retired); Captain Juan Guerrero, HFD; Any Villanueva, Volunteer Coordinator, Hispanic CERT Team; and Carlos Robles, Meteorologist, Univision 45.
Enrollment is limited. Interested persons are encouraged to register in advance. Walk-ins may be accepted, based on availability of participant slots. To enroll contact Benito Juarez, Office of International Communities, at 713.778.6503 or Benito.Juarez@houstontx.gov.
For more information about the Department of Neighborhoods, visit www.houstontx.gov/neighborhoods. To learn more about the City of Houston Office of Emergency Management, visit www.houstonoem.net.