Starting March 20 and continuing for the next eight weeks, free Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) classes will be taught at the Van Riper Ellis Christian School.

CERT classes -- which provide residents with basic training in what to do before, during and after a disaster -- will be offered every Tuesday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. through May 8.

CERT training is primarily conducted to aid participants in protecting themselves and their families during emergency situations, but trained CERT members are also invited to volunteer for Fair Lawn's CERT team, which helps bridge the gap in emergency situations before the community's professional first responders arrive on the scene.

Basic CERT safety equipment will be issued to each successful participant at the end of the free eight-week course, which offers a variety of trainings that include first aid/CPR, shelter management, fire suppression, traffic and crowd control, and disaster psychology.

CERT classes are also offered on Wednesday nights at the Bergen County Law and Public Safety Institute in Mahwah (Click for CERT class schedule). The BCLPSI classes began this Wednesday.

Please direct any CERT-related questions to Det. Gidget Petry at petry@bcoem.org or 201-785-5757. Click here for a CERT class registration application

If you are interested in becoming a Fair Lawn CERT member, call the Office of Emergency Management, 201-794-5390.

Below is a schedule of Fair Lawn's CERT offerings

*Class to be held at the Bergen County Law and Public Safety Institute, located at 281 Campgaw Road in Mahwah. Please enter the building and locate your classroom listed on the monitor in the main hallway.

**Class date is subject to change based on the availability of Sgt. Richard Schultz from the Fair Lawn Police Department.