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When a volunteer completes the basic CORE training program (CORE I, II and III), he or she becomes a CORE graduate. CORE graduates are given an official CORE helmet and vest, certificate of completion and a CORE volunteer ID card. CORE ID cards expire two years from the date issued.
Beginning in 2010, CORE graduates will no longer need to get a new ID card each time they renew. An expiration date sticker will be provided to those who recertify, which can be placed over the old expiration date on the ID card.
If you need a replacement CORE ID card because yours was lost or stolen, you must come to the Officep class="core" of Emergency Services to have your photo taken and to sign your new card. Please contact the CORE Coordinator to schedule an appointment after completing one of the recertification methods described below.
CORE graduates who want to renew their certification now have three options to do so: attend the CORE Refresher workshop, participate in the annual CORE Citywide Exercise, or complete a self-paced online tutorial.
Attend the CORE Refresher workshop
- This advanced training workshop is held at least once per year. (In 2010, it will be offered in the fall.)
- Review basic emergency preparedness principles and practice hands-on skills under the supervision of Oakland firefighters.
- You must register in advance to attend this training, and bring your CORE ID card with you.
- Your updated expiration date sticker will be provided to you at the end of the workshop.
Participate in the annual CORE Citywide Exercise
- CORE graduates who participate fully in the CORE Citywide Exercise will qualify for recertification. The event occurs annually in April. More information about the CORE Citywide Exercise is available at http://www.oaklandnet.com/fire/core/citywide.html.
- Individuals must be present for the full length of the event (usually from 9:00am to 11:30am or 12noon), but are not required to attend neighborhood planning meetings, the Citywide Orientation or Citywide Debriefing.
- You are not required to participate in any specific role. You can be the Neighborhood Incident Commander, a member of a Response Team, the Safety Officer or even a Volunteer Victim.
- You must sign in and out on the official recertification form during the Exercise to verify your participation.
- Your updated expiration date sticker will arrive in the U.S. mail within two weeks.
Complete IS-317: Introduction to CERT
- Volunteers with busy schedules may opt to complete this online tutorial at their convenience, rather than attend a workshop or exercise in person.
- IS-317: Introduction to Community Emergency Response Teams is an independent study course that serves as an introduction to CERT for those wanting to complete training or as a refresher for current team members. It has six modules with topics that include an Introduction to CERT, Fire Safety, Hazardous Material and Terrorist Incidents, Disaster Medical Operations, and Search and Rescue. It takes between six and eight hours to complete the course. Those successfully finishing it will receive an electronic certificate of completion from Citizen Corps.
- This independent study course is hosted on the Citizen Corps website at http://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/IS317/. Click through the various section links to read the information and complete a final exam. To pass the exam, you must get at least 31 of the 40 questions on the exam correct, giving you a score of 77.5% or higher. If you don't pass on your first try, you should review the sections where you had difficulty, and try the final exam again.
- Send the CORE Coordinator a copy of your IS-317 completion certificate, along with your current mailing address, email address and phone number in order to receive your CORE recertification credit. You can send it in an email to core@oaklandnet.com, fax it to 510-238-7761, or mail a hard copy to 1605 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, Oakland, CA 94612.
- Once your certificate is received by the CORE Coordinator, your updated expiration date sticker will arrive in the U.S. mail within two weeks.
If you have questions about the recertification process, you may contact the CORE Coordinator at 510-238-6351 or core@oaklandnet.com.
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