If you’re looking for emergency preparedness training for your neighborhood or workplace CERT group, don’t overlook YouTube.
Hundreds of videos are posted there – just go to YouTube, type in “CERT Training” and you have your choice.
narrow your search
Naturally, you don’t want just any video cert. You are probably looking to limit your search to some of the following features. (Simply type your term into the YouTube search bar after the word “CERT”).
• A specific CERT concept. For example, you might want to search for “CERT Triage” or “CERT Fire Extinguisher” or “CERT Recruitment.”
• Video length. You know your audience best. We’ve found that a 20-minute video keeps our audience engaged and has enough “draw” to allow for an in-depth discussion afterwards. Or you can show two or three very short videos on the same topic and use the discussion time to compare and contrast them.
• To lease. A video set on the streets of a snow-covered city, no matter how well done, will not resonate with your Gulf Coast audience!
• age. Generally, the newer the video, the better the visual and audio quality. In some cases, standards may have changed as well, so make sure your video content reflects current practice.
• Author. So many different organizations have filmed the training! If you find a font you like, perhaps from a nearby town or group, you might want to stick with it. You can even subscribe through YouTube to all the videos made by that particular group.
Take Advantage of FEMA Video Reviews
You can find full reviews of some videos on the FEMA website. Reviews correlate video action with specific chapters of CERT training. Here is an example of a video called “CERT in action:”
At CERT in Action, a fierce storm hit the local community. CERT members activate in their neighborhood, establish an incident command post, and assess damage throughout the area. They use their CERT skills to respond to damage and injured victims at the local community center, managing the situation until professional first responders can arrive. This video provides a helpful introduction to the CERT concept for new program participants and others who may be interested in the program. This video will also support the material presented in the CERT Basic Training Unit 6: CERT Organization course. CERT trainers will be able to use the video to start a discussion about CERT use of ICS and other critical features of successful team operations.
Create a leader’s guide for the video
We recently showed “CERT in action” to our team and it was well received. The video is 19 minutes, 15 seconds long and was uploaded in February 2013.
Since not everyone in the room was CERT trained, we put together a “Leader’s Guide”: ten questions (presented via PowerPoint) to introduce the video. After viewing, the questions served to inspire useful discussion.
Overall, the ten introductory questions, video, and post-video discussion took about 45 minutes, perfect for the hour-long meeting we had scheduled.
The discussion veered away from the questions, of course, because our group wanted to talk more about how a CERT group would respond after an earthquake, rather than a storm. (We are in dry Southern California, after all!) But having the questions kept the meeting moving and ensured the main points were covered.
Commentary? “Good video.” “I learned something.” “It was worth my time.”
