Two was company Tuesday night at the first Community Emergency Response Team class at the Alachua County Emergency Operations Center.
Tuesday's class was the first of seven in the current session of the CERT program, which gives those who complete the free course a certificate that identifies them as prepared to help during emergency situations in Alachua County.
Although only two attended, the session lasted about two hours and included team-building exercises, an informational video and discussions about safety.
County CERT coordinator Ebbin Spellman spent the class talking about different types of disasters and why it's important to be prepared for them.
"People need to be self-reliant," he said. "It doesn't take much to overwhelm emergency personnel."
Spellman said Hurricane Katrina and Sept. 11 were situations that could have been improved if people in the surrounding areas had emergency training.
Micanopy resident Joyce Conners said she enjoyed the intimate atmosphere.
"It's nice to have the almost one-on-one attention," she said. "If you have a bigger group, invariably you get someone in it that's just clueless."
Those enrolled in the course will learn skills for fire suppression, medical emergencies, terrorism identification, search and rescue, disaster psychology and cribbing, a technique used to remove heavy objects from people pinned beneath them.
People who are interested but missed the first class may still enroll but must make up the first course during the next session, which begins in May.
