NERT Training Curriculum & Course Content

The goal of the NERT program is to help the residents of San Francisco to be self sufficient in a major disaster situation by developing multifunctional teams, cross trained in basic emergency skills. Through this program, individuals will learn hands-on disaster skills that will help them as members of an emergency response team, preparing them to respond to a personal emergency or as an adjunct to the SFFD response.

The 24 hour training consists of six class sessions that are approximately 4 hours each. The NERT Training is free to the public. The San Francisco Fire Department has the following NERT trainings scheduled. NERT Trainings are held at different locations throughout San Francisco. Enrollment is limited.

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NERT's Curriculum

The goal of this program is to help the residents of San Francisco be self sufficient in a major disaster situation by developing multi-functional teams, cross-trained in basic emergency skills.  Through this program, individuals will learn hands-on disaster skills that will help them as members of an emergency response team and/or as a leader directing untrained volunteers during an emergency, allowing them to act independently or as an adjunct to City emergency services.  There is no cost  for the neighborhood training, and the class sessions are approximately 4 hours.

SFFD will provide you with a printed NERT Student Participant Manual in Class 1.

Class 1: Earthquake Awareness, Preparedness, and Hazard Mitigation

Earthquake type, magnitude, history and probability
How to prepare before it happens
What to do when the earth starts to shake

Forms used in this class:
Agreement of Understanding (AoU)
Student Code of Conduct (CoC) Agreement

Class 2: Basic Disaster Skills

Natural gas, water and electrical controls, why, when and how to shut them off
Types of fire, and using extinguishers to put it out
Hazardous Materials awareness in the home, on the road, and all around you
Terrorism Awareness

Class 3: Disaster Medicine

Health considerations for the rescuer
Opening airways
Stopping bleeding and shock position
S.T.A.R.T. triage
Minor injuries and burns

Class 4: Light Search and Rescue

Different types of construction and where to look for damage
How to classify damaged buildings
Building marking system
Interior search patterns
Lifting heavy objects and mechanical advantage
Victim carries

Class 5: Team Organization and Management

City Disaster Plan and where the NERTs fit
NERT Incident Command System, managing the disaster
Disaster Psychology

Class 6: Skills Development and Application

Final Exam Review

Hands-On-Training
Extinguishing fires
Triaging and treating moulage victims
Extricating a victim trapped by heavy timbers
Interior search for reported missing persons
Exterior building damage assessment
Award of Achievement and course evaluation

Forms used in this class:
Final Exam - pages 217-222 in your Student Participant Manual
Volunteer Involvement
Equipment Sign-out
Course Evaluation