VashonBePrepared will offer a free seminar focusing on household preparedness next week, providing information on issues such as electrical and gas safety, fire prevention, and stockpiling of necessities.

The five-hour session, slated for Saturday, Feb. 4, is intended to help islanders be safe and self-sufficient during an extended power outage or after an emergency. It will also serve as the opening session of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) class, which will meet on Friday evenings throughout February and into March.

The CERT class is a FEMA-based course that prepares islanders to help in emergencies — at their home, neighborhoods and in the wider community. The Feb. 4 session may be taken on its own or as part of the whole CERT program.

Promotional materials for the Saturday seminar promise attendees will “learn the ropes to be resilient — not to mention well-fed.” To that end, CERT leader JanMilligan will head the discussion on household preparations necessary to withstand a two-week period. Other presenters will discuss emergency communications when phones and the internet are down, as well as how to prevent and deal with household fires, including information regarding fire extinguishers and their use. The stars of the show, Milligan said, will be representatives from Puget Sound Energy, who will talk about electrical, gas and propane safety. A resource materials area will also be provided.

Milligan noted the material presented to islanders that day is central to the work of VashonBePrepared.

“One of the main missions of VashonBePrepared is to help the community be resilient in a disaster. It is just what we do,” she said.

People who are interested in learning more than what will be offered in the seminar are welcome to continue on with the CERT class, which will meet from Friday evenings beginning Feb. 10. The first five classes — through March 10 — will provide instruction on safety and emergency training in fire prevention, light fire fighting, and search and rescue, among other topics. For people who are taking the class only for personal preparedness, the course will end there, Milligan said. However, for those who would like to consider joining the CERT team to serve in the broader community during emergencies, the course will continue until March 31 and will include a full-day disaster simulation on Sunday, March 26. Community response activities include searching for missing people on the island, information gathering during a disaster and providing support to the fire department. The course, like the introductory seminar, is free.

The CERT course was first offered on the island more than 10 years ago, and since then, Milligan said, over 300 students have taken it. She encourages others to do the same.

“It is good for so many people on so many levels,” she said. “Everybody should take CERT at least once.”