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Build Your Preparedness Skills

Introduction

Training for how to act in an emergency can help you save lives and property. The materials below provide an excellent introduction to understanding the roles and responsibilities you may have during a disaster.

We welcome suggestions for the Portal! If you find a good preparedness tool, please email it to citizencorps@dhs.gov.

We encourage the use of websites that are accessible to people with access and functional needs. For guidance on creating Section 508 compliant online materials refer to the Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards. For further information on emergency management and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, please review this webinar from the Citizen Corps Community Preparedness Webinar Series.

Disclaimer
The resources listed here are purely for reference, are from publicly available sources, and intended to provide preparedness guidance, tools, and publications.  FEMA does not necessarily endorse the views expressed or the facts presented on any linked external, third-party website. Nor does FEMA endorse any non-Federal government entity, service, or organization including but not limited to any commercial products.

 

CERT Training

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help. CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community.

Click here to visit the National CERT Program Website


FEMA Independent Study Courses

FEMA's Emergency Management Institute offers many online courses for you to learn more about emergency preparedness, mitigation, the emergency management system, and the disaster response process.

Below are a few courses that you may be interested in:

All the course materials are available over the internet to all who are interested. Official enrollment in the course, which includes scoring the final exam, receiving a certificate, and maintaining student records is, however, limited to United States (US) residents and to those individuals outside the US with valid US Postal Service deliverable address including APOs and FPOs.

The EMI Independent Study program consists of self-paced courses designed for both the general public and people who have emergency management responsibilities. They are offered free-of-charge to all who qualify for enrollment, and college credit can be obtained through a for-fee service after successful completion of a course.

Each Independent Study Course includes lessons with practice exercises and a final examination. Those who score 75 percent or better are issued a certificate of achievement from EMI. Course completion times vary from two to fourteen hours, depending on the course and the student's background.

» Please view the list of available courses.

Other Training Programs

Relevant Webinars

These webinars from Citizen Corps' Community Preparedness Webinar Series may provide additional useful information:

 

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