BRIEFLY SIGN UP NOW FOR DISASTER TRAINING.

Byline: - Daily News

SIMI VALLEY - The Simi Valley Police Department is now accepting applications for the next Community Emergency Response Team Training course. Those 18 or over who live or work in Simi Valley and who are willing to assist the community following major disasters are encouraged to apply. The deadline for applications is Monday.

The course consists of six 3-hour classes on consecutive Wednesdays, beginning this week and concluding Oct. 15. There will be one special session on Monday, Oct. 6. All classes will be conducted in the Emergency Operations Center of the police building at 3901 Alamo St., Simi Valley.

The training will culminate with an all-day session at the Ventura County Regional Fire Training Center in Camarillo on Oct. 18.

The CERT program was started following the Northridge Earthquake and provides Simi Valley residents and businesses with skills to become self-reliant in the wake of disasters. The course includes training in disaster awareness and preparedness, disaster psychology, fire suppression, disaster medical operations, terrorism, team leadership and light search and rescue.

The training is provided by experts from the Ventura County Fire Protection District, the city of Simi Valley Office of Emergency Services and Simi Valley Hospital. Upon completion of the program, participants will have the option to be considered for appointment as disaster service workers who will respond to actual emergencies.

For more information, call community services specialist Bruce Wilson at [phone].

Teaching zoo will host 'fun raiser'

MOORPARK - Mammals, magic and the military will be featured at a ``fun raiser'' Sept. 14 at the Exotic Animal Training and Management Program at America's Teaching Zoo on the campus of Moorpark College.

The event, which is sponsored by the Marines and Friends Organization and the EATM Feeding Program, will be held from 12:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the zoo. Family entertainment, including magic, balloon artistry, clowns and a visit from Bugs Bunny, will augment the chance to get an up-close look at some of the 115 exotic animals that live at the compound.

A special aspect of the event will be a visit with U.S. Marines, some recently returned from the war in Iraq. The Marines will also be raising money for their Special Education Scholarship program.

Admission is $6 for children age 12 and under; $8 for adults. Children under age 3 will be admitted free. For further information, call [phone].

VCCF offers class on writing grants

The Ventura County Community Foundation is offering a workshop in September and October to train nonprofit grant-writers.

Under the auspices of the center's Resource Center for Nonprofit Management, instructor Gail Guglielmino will lead a series of workshops covering the stages of preparing proposals, targeting funded research, reading ``between the lines'' of grant guidelines, creating proposal budgets, adapting proposals to different requirements, project time lines and reporting to grant-makers after projects have been funded.

The series includes three Thursday evening sessions beginning Sept. 23 from 5 to 8 p.m. and one full-day workshop on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The cost of the course is $285. For more information, or to register, call Susan Scalc at [phone], Ext. 10 or visit VCCF's Web page at www.vccf.org.