Santa Clarita Valley residents interested in learning life-saving emergency skills can sign up for the city of Santa Clarita’s Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) program.

The next seven-week course runs April 9, 2015 through May 21, 2015 and will teach basic survival skills that can be crucial during disasters such as earthquakes, fires, floods and other life-threatening situations.

CERT classes will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Thursday nights at the Santa Clarita Sports Complex in Canyon Rooms A/B, located at 20870 Centre Pointe Parkway.

CERT is an interactive training series integrating lectures, videos, skills assessments and demonstrations to teach residents important skills needed to act quickly during emergencies.

The program focuses on comprehensive emergency preparedness education and emphasizes the importance of preplanning and contingency planning to ensure the safety of family, friends and co-workers during times of crises.

Participants will practice treating life-threatening conditions through a method used by first responders called Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment (S.T.A.R.T).

By the end of the course, trainees will be able to identify the proper courses of action and organize available resources according to the appropriate disaster situation.  The course culminates with a disaster simulation on the final evening.

The CERT program is certified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and requires no previous knowledge to participate.

Participants must be 18 years or older. Classes are instructed by local firefighters from the Los Angeles County Fire Department and city of Santa Clarita staff.

Registration for the CERT program is now open online here.

The class includes a $30 equipment fee.

For more information on the CERT program, visit the website.

Photos courtesy of the city of Santa Clarita.