The Tacoma Fire Department invites citizens who live or work within the city limits of Tacoma to attend the next session of Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) classes.

The series of six classes will all be held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, from 6:30 to 9 p.m., for three weeks beginning on Sept. 20. Training will culminate in a practical exercise to be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 8.

Classes will be held at one of two Fire Department locations, the Fire Prevention Bureau classroom, 3471 S. 35th St., and the Fire Training Center, 2124 Marshall Ave., depending on the activity of the particular class.

This class is aimed at teaching groups of citizens in our community to prepare for and respond to disasters. The classes will follow a model developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and similar classes are offered in cities across the United States.

The purpose of the CERT class is to teach people in our community how to help each other in the first few minutes or hours following a disaster – before emergency responders are able to reach them to render professional help. In the classes, students will gain hands-on skills such as how to put out small fires, offer first aid in a disaster situation, and perform light search and rescue.

Instructors will be uniformed firefighters with special experience in particular areas, or subject-matter experts.

Training classes are free.