CERT Basic Training Course

The Naperville CERT course is delivered by a team of people who are specially qualified to instruct the sessions and have the requisite knowledge and skills. The CERT course is usually delivered, one evening (3 hrs) a week over a 4 week period, followed by a 5-6 hour field exercise on a Saturday.  

The course and all materials are free to people who live, work or attend school in Naperville. Participants must be 18 years of age or older and must submit a Registration form and a Hold Harmless form (See below).

The course contents include the following:

  • Session I, DISASTER PREPAREDNESS: Addresses hazards most likely to affect our area and actions that participants and their families can take before, during, and after a disaster.  This training can help you operate in a safe and appropriate manner.
  • Session II, DISASTER FIRE SUPPRESSION: Covers hazardous materials, fire hazards, and fire suppression strategies. The thrust of this session is the safe use of fire extinguishers, sizing up the situation, controlling utilities, and extinguishing small fires.
  • Session III, DISASTER MEDICAL OPERATIONS PART I: Participants practice diagnosing and treating airway obstruction, bleeding, and shock by using simple triage and rapid treatment techniques.
  • Session IV, DISASTER MEDICAL OPERATIONS, PART II: Covers evaluating patients by doing a head to toe assessment, establishing a medical treatment area, performing basic first aid, and practicing in a safe and sanitary manner.
  • Session V, LIGHT SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATIONS: Participants learn about search and rescue planning, search techniques, rescue techniques, and rescuer safety.
  • Session VI, DISASTER PSYCHOLOGY AND TEAM ORGANIZATION: Covers signs and symptoms that might be experienced by the disaster victim and worker.
  • Session VII, COURSE REVIEW AND DISASTER SIMULATION: Participants review their answers from a take home examination. Finally, they practice the skills that they have learned during the previous six sessions in disaster activity.

Students are provided (free of charge) written materials and an initial set of emergency equipment including such things as a helmet, backpack, first aid kit, etc. During each session participants are required to bring that safety equipment (gloves, goggles, mask) and disaster supplies (bandages, flashlight, dressings) which will be used during the session. By doing this for each session, participants are building a disaster response kit of items that they will need during a disaster.

Participants must be 18 years of age and must either live or be employed in the City of Naperville. Interested parties should download the CERT Registration Form (PDF 126 KB) and Hold Harmless Request (PDF 14.4 KB) and submit both to:

John Flannery - CERT Liaison
Naperville Electric Services Center
1390 Aurora Avenue Naperville, IL 60540

For more information, please contact John Flannery by phone at (630) 305-5215 or via e-mail at flanneryj@naperville.il.us.                Limited space is available on a first-come, first-served basis. (SEE SCHEDULE).