COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM
The CERT concept was developed and implemented by the Los Angeles City Fire Department in 1985. The Whittier Narrows earthquake in 1987 underscored the area-wide threat of a major disaster in California. Further, it confirmed the need for training civilians to meet their immediate needs.
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program educates volunteers about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. CERT offers a consistent, nationwide approach to volunteer training and organization that professional responders can rely on during disaster situations, which allows them to focus on more complex tasks. Through CERT, the capabilities to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters is built and enhanced.
At the same time, the CERT program was designed as a grassroots initiative and specifically structured so that the local and state program managers have the flexibility to form their programs in the way that best suits their communities. CERT volunteers are trained to respond safely, responsibly, and effectively to emergency situations, but they can also support their communities during non-emergency events as well. There are over 2,700 local CERT programs nationwide, with more than 600,000 individuals trained since CERT became a national program.
Community Emergency Response Team Program trains volunteers to prepare for the types of disasters that their community may face. Through hands-on practice and realistic exercises, CERT members:
- Learn how to safely respond to manmade and natural hazards
- Help organize basic disaster response
- Promote preparedness by hosting and participating in community events
CERT Programs in Area D
Area D is pleased to support CERT programs currently in place, which are managed and coordinated by the following cities:
- Claremont
- Duarte
- Glendora
- La Verne
- Monrovia
- Pomona Valley
- Rosemead
- San Dimas
- Sierra Madre
- Temple City
We also have an Area D CERT Advisory Board, which focuses on providing guidance and tools to better prepare CERT programs in Area D. Those members are:
- Bryan Ariizumi, Temple City
- Suzanne Dobson, Monrovia CERT
- Jim Rudroff, West Covina Fire Department
- Mandy Wong, Rosemead
- LA County Fire Community Services Representative Division II
- DMAC, Area D
Training & Upcoming Events
This section will provide you with upcoming training and events scheduled by participating CERT programs across Area D. If you have an upcoming event or CERT course open to others outside of your city/agency, send your flyer to info@areadonline.com.
Area D “In-Kind Match” EMPG
Area D welcomes all “in-kind match” hours from CERT training and events hosted by cities. If you are a CERT program manager, and you would like to contribute towards Area D EMPG “in-kind match”, you will find the Volunteer Salary Certification form link in this section. Each CERT volunteer is asked to sign this form which covers them for the current federal fiscal year (July 1-June 30). You can scan the form(s) and email them to info@areadonline.com or mail them to Area D at 500 W. Bonita Ave, Ste 4, San Dimas, CA 91773. Area D will keep this form for every CERT member who signs it and contributes hours towards the “in-kind match”.
Along with this form, we will also need the following information on each sign-in sheet
- Date
- Time of event (i.e. 0800-1200, 7:00p-9:30p)
- Location
- Signature of each attendee
And that is it! Just those two items to contribute volunteer hours towards Area D EMPG “In-Kind Match”
Volunteer Salary Certification (per person)
Sign-In sheet of event (with date, time, location and signature(s))