(For CERT Continuing Education, see this page. For CERT instructors, see this page.)
Santa Cruz County CERT offers free public trainings for Santa Cruz County residents. Current public offerings include the CERT Basic Training course, the Stop the Bleed class, and selected public continuing education opportunities. CERT members are welcome to attend or repeat these trainings.
Special Public Training Opportunity
Thursday, July 9, 2026 — Building Workplace Resilience: Bringing CERT into Emergency Preparedness
For CERTs AND the Public. 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm at Central Fire District Administration Building, 930 17th Ave, Santa Cruz.
Presenter: Ashli Sturgill, CSP, Safety and Health Manager and CERT Instructor
Most workplaces maintain emergency action plans to meet regulatory requirements, yet many struggle to translate those plans into real-world capability. This session explores how Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) principles can be applied within workplace environments to bridge the gap between compliance and true preparedness.
Drawing from practical safety and risk management experience, this session introduces a framework for integrating CERT concepts into existing workplace emergency programs. Participants will learn how to build internal capacity by training employees in basic response skills, strengthening communication and coordination, and supporting life safety efforts during the critical early stages of an incident—before professional responders arrive.
The session will connect core emergency management concepts, including mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery, to workplace operations and demonstrate how CERT-aligned programs can enhance resilience, reduce response time, and support business continuity. Real-world examples and implementation considerations will be shared to help organizations tailor programs to their specific risks, workforce, and operational needs.
Attendees will leave with practical strategies to move beyond written plans and develop a more capable, confident, and prepared workforce.
Class size: 24 maximum
CERT Basic Training Course
The CERT Basic Training Course prepares you to help yourself and others at home and in your community in the event of a catastrophic disaster.
It is important to know, if a major disaster occurs, firefighters, paramedics, and police WILL NOT COME! They will be deployed FIRST to major incidents such as collapsed buildings. That is why you constantly hear that you MUST be prepared to take care of yourself. In the CERT course we say, “Do the greatest good for the greatest number of people.” When you are trained, you are far more equipped to deal with your circumstances without needing aid from outside sources.
CERT members are trained in basic disaster response skills such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. You will learn how to prepare for emergencies, what supplies you should NOW have in your house, and most importantly, how to protect your family in an emergency.
Subjects Covered in the CERT Basic Course
- Recent Disasters and Emergencies
- Home and Workplace Preparedness
- Community Preparedness
2. CERT Organization
- CERT Organization
- CERT Mobilization
- The CERT Team in Action
3 & 4. Disaster Medical Operations
- Treating Life-Threatening Conditions
- Triage
- Treating Injuries and Wounds
- Mass Casualty incidents
- Establishing Treatment Areas
- Head to Toe Assessments
- Disaster Psychology
5. Disaster Psychology
- Disaster Reactions
- Self-Care and Team Well-Being
6. Fire Safety and Utility Controls
- Fire Chemistry
- Fire Suppression (for small fires)
- Fire and Utility Hazards
- Hazardous Materials
7. Light Search and Rescue Operations
- Safety During Search and Rescue Operations
- Conducting Search Operations
- Conducting Rescue Operations
8. CERT and Terrorism
- Preparing Your Community
- Active Shooter Situations
- Until Help Arrives
9. Review and Exercise
- Course Review
- Disaster Simulation
- Final Exam
CERT Basic Course — In-Person
The course will consist of 21 hours which combine lecture, discussion, and hands-on skills practice. Most classes include four evenings and one full weekend day session. The course concludes with one full weekend day session that includes classwork, review, and hands-on team activities including search and rescue, extractions, proper use of fire extinguishers, and cribbing. The CERT Basic Course requires attendance at ALL sessions.
This free training is open to Santa Cruz County residents age 13 and up. Youth under 16 must be accompanied by a guardian.
Note: CERT Basic Training is currently a fully in-person training. See the CERT Respiratory Virus Policy.
Upcoming CERT Basic Training dates:
September in Watsonville — Sundays, September 13, 20, and 27. This class is being offered for those who prefer to complete the class in fewer (but longer) class days. The class will consist of three 8-hr classes which combine lecture, discussion, and hands-on skills practice. Classes will be taught in English with bilingual Spanish support. Manual available in English or Spanish. Las clases se impartirán en inglés con apoyo bilingüe en español. El manual está disponible en inglés o español.
- Sunday, September 13, 9 am to 5 pm – at Watsonville Fire Station 2, 370 Airport Blvd, Watsonville
Topics: AM – Disaster Preparedness, CERT Organization. PM- Disaster Medical Operations (part 1) - Sunday, September 20, 9 am to 5 pm – at Watsonville Fire Station 2, 370 Airport Blvd, Watsonville
Topics: AM – Disaster Medical Operations (part 2), Disaster Psychology. PM – Fire Safety and Utility Controls, Terrorism - Sunday, September 27, 9 am to 4:30 pm – at (NOTE different location) Central Fire District Administration building, 930 – 17th Ave, Live Oak/Santa Cruz
Topics: AM – Light Search and Rescue, CERT Teams and DSWs. PM – Skills practice of extinguishing a fire, cribbing, search and rescue, graduation
ALL class sessions are required. Teens welcome with a parent if under 16.
Please contact Joyce Smith (basictraining831cert@gmail.com) with questions.
Sign up for the in-person class series. Be sure to select the tab for the Watsonville Sept 2026 class.
CERT Basic Course — Online
Not quite ready for in-person learning? Your schedule makes classes impossible? The CERT Basic Course — Online offers online training that covers many of the basics of the full training. You will not be fully trained without attending in-person classes, but it will give you a good start.
The online training is a 12- to 15-hour FEMA-developed online course of instruction and a 2-hour California CERT-developed online triage unit. The online training is broken into 8 units plus a final exam that may be taken at your own pace and convenience. If interested in the online classes, go to https://onlinecert.org. This will re-direct you to the University of Utah, where the online course is maintained. Click on “Online Courses,” and you can register for the free online CERT course in English, Spanish, or Mandarin.
Stop the Bleed Class
In this vital class taught by Santa Cruz County CERT instructors, you will gain the power to save a life. You will learn and practice three easy-to-master techniques for controlling severe bleeding in an emergency situation.
- Apply direct pressure: Learn how to use your hands to effectively compress a wound.
- Pack a wound: Discover how to use packing material to control bleeding.
- Apply a tourniquet: Master the correct way to use a tourniquet to stop the blood flow.
This free training is open to Santa Cruz County residents age 13 and up including CERT members. We hope to offer this training three to four times a year. Youth under 16 must be accompanied by a guardian. Class size is limited because of the hands-on nature of the training.
Upcoming Stop the Bleed class dates:
No Stop the Bleed classes are currently scheduled. We expect to offer two more classes in the fall.