Video summary
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program has been a vital force for forty years, assisting communities during critical emergencies across California. Supported by CalOES as the state's lead emergency management agency, these programs build a network of volunteers equipped with essential skills such as fire safety and suppression, search and rescue, team organization, and disaster first aid. The core philosophy emphasizes that emergency preparedness begins at the local level, fostering a culture where neighbors literally meet and help one another to ensure community resilience.
Cities throughout the state have established dedicated positions to manage these initiatives, exemplified by Denise School in Chino, which oversees ten trained volunteers. The City of Chino was fortunate to receive a Ready California grant between 2021 and 2022, which allowed them to launch their CERT program from scratch. This funding provided the necessary startup supplies and resources to sustain and grow the organization into its current state, demonstrating how external support can transform a community's ability to respond effectively when professional responders are overwhelmed following a disaster.
The dedication of these volunteers is highlighted by annual conferences and training events that reinforce the importance of their work, such as the 2026 conference held in Irvine with over 600 attendees. Participants like Cecilia Herrera, who has volunteered and instructed for more than a decade, view CERT as an extension of family time rather than traditional leisure activities. These individuals are driven by a shared mission to care for others, protect their communities, and empower residents to be self-sufficient, turning preparation into a collective effort that strengthens neighborhood bonds.
Ultimately, the CERT program empowers everyday community members to step up and make a difference in their homes and neighborhoods when crises occur. By providing training and resources through partnerships like Ready California, the program ensures that Californians are better prepared to handle future disasters. This grassroots approach not only fills critical gaps in emergency response but also fosters a sense of unity and purpose among volunteers who share the same outlook on serving and educating their communities.
Read the full video transcript
Community Emergency Response Team
For 40 years, those involved in the CERT
program have helped communities during
critical times of need. As California's
lead emergency management agency, CalOES
supports CERT programs throughout the
state to build a network of volunteers
and empower them with the necessary
skills to use during emergencies like
fire safety and suppression, search and
rescue, team organization, and disaster
first aid.
>> Emergency preparedness starts in your
local community, literally neighbor
meeting neighbor, neighbor helping
neighbor.
>> Cities across California have designated
positions to manage the CERT program
like Denise School in Chino who oversees
10 dedicated and trained volunteers.
With help from CalOES and Ready
California, Denise has seen firsthand
how a CERT program can benefit the
community.
>> The City of Chino was actually very
fortunate to receive a Ready California
grant back in 2021 or 2022.
Before receiving the grant, we actually
didn't have a CERT program.
So, this allowed us to start our CERT
program, get all of the the startup
supplies that we needed to continue our
program or start our program, and then
grow it to what it is today.
>> Every year, CERT hosts a conference and
annual training to reinforce why the
work they do matters. CalOES was at this
year's event with our Ready California
team to provide community resources and
talk with volunteers.
>> You can tell everybody that is here is
in the work that they do because they
care about other people. They care about
protecting their community. They care
about empowering the communities and
educating the communities. We're all
here with the same outlook, the same
mission.
>> The 2026 CERT conference was held over 6
days in Irvine. There were 600 attendees
overall with 330 people from California.
>> CERT is here because professional
responders will be overwhelmed after a
disaster, and everyday community members
can step up, be safe, they are trained,
and they can make a difference at their
homes, in their neighborhoods, in their
community. And it's just so important to
empower people to be self-sufficient,
especially after a disaster.
>> Cecilia Herrera has been a volunteer and
instructor for more than a decade. She
was looking for a way to teach her
family how to be prepared, and that's
when she found CERT.
>> CERT became like our family time.
Instead of going to the park or to the
movies, we came to help out with the
CERT program.
>> Cecilia, like many other CERT volunteers
throughout the state, are helping make
California better prepared to handle the
next disaster.
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