The primary focus of the Community Emergency Response Team program is to provide personal training for the core principles of CERT: safety, teamwork, and place in overall community emergency operations plan. West Orange County CERT (WOC-CERT) focuses its training efforts on the people who live and or work within the West Orange County regional area, though all people are welcome to attend and complete our CERT Academy program. Completing the CERT Academy is the first step to becoming a member of our West Orange County CERT program. You can find out more about this training and when the next course is being offered here.
WOC-CERT members along with police and other first responder personnel work together to maintain Team skills. WE maintain our internal working relationships by attending refresher classes and exercises where all Team members are invited to participate. Some of these events are joint exercises with Orange County or larger Regional CERT teams and operate as they would during an actual disaster.
Once the Academy Training has been completed, our Program has 3 levels* for members to participate. The levels, requirements, and responsibilities are defined below.
West County CERT Program Volunteer Levels of Participation*
Volunteer Level 3 — Basic
Volunteer Level 2 — Advanced
Volunteer Level 1 — Advanced, Multi-Jurisdiction
After a CERT member attains Level B status, they are eligible to purchase a WOC-CERT uniform.
Volunteer Level 3 —Training
- Complete the Academy Training (20+ hours of training total) with no obligations to/from the organization, city, county, or state.
Volunteer Level 3 — Responsibilities
- No further responsibilities
- You may receive follow up email(s) to clarify any questions you may have, keep you informed, and invite you to become an advanced Team member
Volunteer Level 2 —Training
- Completion of Level 3 requirements
- Completion of:
- Current First Aid/CPR/AED certification.
- Red Cross Shelter Fundamentals Course (Red Cross prerequisites and 8 hour course consisting of classroom training and implementation exercises)
- Basic written exam: See the Student Manual p. 9-5
- Fingerprinting with a background check.
- Complete an interview with members of the Leadership Team.
Volunteer Level 2 — Service Opportunities
- WOC-CERT area callouts
- Trailer Team
- Medical Team
- Recruitment & Retention Team
- Local EOC assignments when activated
- Other duties as assigned
Volunteer Level 1 – Training
- Complete Level 2 requirements
- Current First Aid/CPR/AED certification
- Completion of SEMS G-606: Standardized Emergency Management System Introduction or SEMS G-606, an online course
- Completion of CERT Mutual Aid Program (CMAP) course (A 6-hour training class. Ask our Admin Lead for available class schedule)
Volunteer Level 1— Service Opportunities
- Local/county/state/federal call out
- Trailer Team
- Medical Team
- Recruitment & Retention Team
- Local & County EOC assignments when activated
- Other duties as assigned
All West Orange County CERT members are invited to attend the bi-monthly (second Wednesdays of the even months) CERT Program training sessions. These sessions include a potluck dinner where the Team meets, enjoys an eclectic variety of food and has a chance to socialize and get to know each other. After dinner, the Team receives updates on the program from the Leadership Team, takes part in a training or awareness presentation, and always have fun together. These meetings generally begin at 5:30 p.m and at one of the partner city’s police or community facilities. Members are alerted to meeting locations via email and on this website a few weeks prior to the event.
Level A and Level B members are requested to respond to “Call Out” requests as needed. These requests are generally announced via text or OC Alert messages and members are expected to reply with their status – available or not. More details on Call Outs is discussed during the training events.
West Orange County CERT Uniforms
WOC-CERT program members who have attained Level B have earned the privilege to wear the West Orange County Regional CERT uniform. Once the Level B requirements have been met, the uniform details will be provided to the member by the Admin Lead.
RACES – Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service
The Cities that make up West Orange County CERT have associated RACES Teams. These teams form the communication backbone for the city police departments in times of emergencies. If you are currently an licensed Ham Radio operator or would like to find out more about becoming one or the details on your city’s RACES program, please ask CERT Leadership or your City’s Emergency Services Coordinator.
Additional Training
Additional advanced Training Modules are available from FEMA and may be taken at any time. Please submit training certificates to the Team Admin Lead for proper recording. These are free courses and typically take between 1 and 4 hours to complete, your results may vary.
- IS-200: ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents
- IS-315: CERT Supplemental Training: The Incident Command System
- IS-505: Religious and Cultural Literacy and Competency in Disaster
- IS-800: National Response Framework, An Introduction
- CERT Animal Response Module I
- CERT Animal Response Module II
- CERT Emergency Communications Module
- CERT Tools for Leadership Success Module
- CERT Traffic and Crowd Management Module
- CERT Flood Response Module
- CERT Firefighter Rehab Module
- CERT Team Exercise Swap Module
Skills Review
* NOTE: These membership levels and requirements are for West Orange County Regional CERT only. The Orange County CMAP group is working with the state and FEMA to standardize these levels as part of the national program. We expect some changes once the levels become FEMA approved. We will keep the Team updated as things evolve.