CERT Intensive Training

CERT training is invaluable. From coast to coast, in the wake of disasters, Community Emergency Response Teams have often been the first responders to those hit the hardest by tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes. CERT training is also perishable...

CERT class itself is only meant to be an introduction to the topics and operations of disaster response. A brief overview and one practice run per CERT Unit can be the difference between life and death, but it does not create a level of skills mastery.

The keys to CERT skill mastery is exposure, repetition and exercise. This is the same Continuing Education principle that helps firefighters master their own basic rescue and lifesaving skills. Since CERT skills are applied in high-risk situations, the Burbank Fire Corps offers CERT Intensive Training (CIT).

CERT certification is a prerequisite to CIT participation. CIT does not expand the scope of CERT, but rather instills a solid operational foundation of CERT principles. CIT gives volunteers command confidence in catastrophic situations.

CIT Operations

CIT is a training and education program and its operations are designed to refresh and reinforce CERT operational principles. As such, CIT does not grant a separate certificate, but rather recognizes total training time invested.

CIT operations take place primarily at the Burbank Fire Training Center. On occasion, CIT may hold training or exercises off-site. As such, to participate in CIT operations, volunteers must be Burbank Fire Corps members registered and deployed to each specific exercise in order to qualify for DSW and City of Burbank liability coverage.

CERT skills, like pilots' skills, are both perishable and benefit from experience. CIT recognizes the following thresholds of CERT training:

  • 25 Hours
  • 50 Hours
  • 100 Hours
  • 500+ Hours



Frequently Asked CIT Questions
  • Q: Is CIT new?
  • A: No. CIT is a reorganization and continuation of CERT Continuing Education that has been going on since 2004.
  • Q: Are CIT hours considered training hours or active hours?
  • A: Both, to a degree. CIT hours are fully credited as training hours, though since this does provide Continuing Education for critical operational skills, we also offer a 5-to-1 crossover. For every five (5) hours of logged CIT, volunteers are credited one active hour for that year.
  • Q: I was looking at the training requirements for Volunteer Specialists (VS) and Senior Volunteers (SV). I'd like to use CIT to meet one of the specialization categories. What do I need to know?
  • A: CIT training hours follow the crossover rule, therefore volunteers need at least one full participation hour to be credited for it. This means 5 logged CIT hours. Once that one converted participation hour is logged, the category is considered fulfilled and the remaining hours for active status may be met through deployments in other specialization categories.
  • Q: I don't have my CERT certification yet. If I take a CERT class, can the hours I log in class count toward CIT?
  • A: No. Your initial CERT certification is a separate specialization category.
  • Q: I already have my CERT certification, but I've thought about auditing a CERT class to knock the rust off. Can I get CIT credit for that?
  • A: Yes, conditionally: the hours must be logged. Passive observing does not meet the CIT requirements. If you audited as an active participant, including signing in on a 211 or equivalent, you're eligible to be credited for CIT hours.
  • Q: Do the CIT training hour thresholds actually mean anything?
  • A: CIT training hour thresholds are an internal measure.
  • Q: What are you measuring for?
  • A: The thresholds assist in determining CERT assignments. Volunteers with greater hours and demonstrated mastery of the skill sets will have the option for more challenging training, as well as consideration for more technical field operations and operational leadership roles in an actual disaster.
  • Q: Is CIT similar to the old BICEPP competition teams?
  • A: The CIT concept has absorbed the BICEPP competition program and expanded it to be independent of third-party motivations.
  • Q: Does that mean CIT will not compete?
  • A: No. In fact, CIT is a prerequisite for Burbank Fire Corps volunteers who wish to compete in BICEPP or CERT competitions. However, unlike organizing for a BICEPP competition, high level CERT training continues year-round.
  • Q: Do I have to try out for CIT?
  • A: No. You do need to be CERT certified, but we welcome all CERT certified volunteers to train and log hours with us.
  • Q: If I train with CIT, do I have to compete if there's some kind of upcoming competition?
  • A: No. Training does not obligate you to compete. In fact, the pressure of competition can be very different from actual deployment, and in some cases, more intense. It's the mission of CIT to instill the skills. If you happen to bring a competitive instinct, we can put that to use, too.
  • Q: I have that competitive instinct. How can I make the Burbank Fire Corps team?
  • A: By participation. By being trained and deployable, you become a force multiplier for the professional rescuers. Very likely, in the event of a major disaster, CIT members will have convergent, recently-sworn DSW volunteers attached to their team. In this case, the training and experience that CIT brings will help guide those convergent volunteers, not only bringing them back in one piece, but mentoring them to do the most good for the most people when it really counts.
  • Q: That's nice. I mean: how do I make the Burbank Fire Corps competition team?
  • A: By participation. There are minimums that must first be met:
    • 25 logged CIT hours.
    • 15 logged CIT hours within the last year.
    Final team selection will happen, optimally, one week before any given competition, depending on which competition it is. BICEPP has demanded an early roster, so BICEPP team selection would be dependent on their deadline. For a municipal CERT competition, such as the one to be hosted by Burbank this September, team selection will be on Saturday, September 4th. Selection criteria will include total and recent logged CIT hours, demonstrated command of the subject matter and team dynamic. Final selection is the discretion and responsibility of the BFCP Training Coordinator.
  • Q: Will the Training Coordinator be competing?
  • A: Yes. The Training Coordinator is also a volunteer, as well as the default Team Captain. At present, there has been no lieutenant selected. Volunteers interested in exercising their leadership skill are encouraged to contact the Training Coordinator.
  • Q: Does having the Training Coordinator compete create any conflict of interest? It sounds a little "insidery" to me...
  • A: The Training Coordinator has recused himself – and been isolated from – all organizational and operational aspects of the competition.
  • Q: Will backboarding be included in CIT instruction?
  • A: Interesting question. The CERT manual calls for backboarding a patient with a suspected neck or spinal injury, but fails to actually instruct how to execute spinal immobilization. Until we get explicit clarification from FEMA on whether backboarding is within the CERT scope of practice, and they adjust their instruction accordingly, we are not officially training in the technique.
  • Q: But backboarding is a part of the BICEPP scope. Will Burbank forfeit that portion of the competition?
  • A: Not likely, no. Where necessary, CIT will informally expand it's scope of training for particular events. Volunteers may then file away that training should they aspire to deeper levels of training and operation, such as the still-in-development Burbank VSAR Team...