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. All NERT Trainings are currently held at the SFFD Division of Training at 19th Street and Folsom Street in the Mission. Enrollment is limited.


Class offerings and enrollment are limited due to COVID-19 and staff availability. 

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.

Course Curriculum Outline is as follows:

 

Class Session #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 Session #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 Session #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 Session #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 Session #5 Team Organization and Management
City Disaster Plan and where the NERTs fit
NERT Incident Command System, managing the disaster
Disaster Psychology

 

Class Session #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