What is CERT? What does CERT do?
Organized under FEMA, the CERT program educates residents about disaster preparedness and equips them with practical skills for handling emergencies in residential settings. The program’s training covers essential skills such as emergency first aid, fire suppression, basic search and rescue, radio usage, command structure
Trained CERT members are prepared to assist their families and neighbors during disasters when professional responders might be delayed. Developed originally by the Los Angeles City Fire Department, CERT became a national initiative in 1993. Today, with more than 3,200 local programs across all 50 states and over 600,000 trained individuals, CERT is an essential component to building a Culture of Preparedness in the United States.
Martinez Area CERT Mission
We supply free disaster preparedness information, classes, and training to residents of Martinez and Pacheco. We provide trained CERT volunteers to respond to emergency and disaster events when summoned by The City of Martinez. We maintain a state of personal and team readiness.
CERT Membership
To become a CERT member, you complete the free CERT Basic Training course and participate in at least one exercise per year. All CERT members abide by our Code of Conduct. Our more active members are encouraged to join us in our Leadership Areas. Continuing Education opportunities are available for free to all CERT members. Our membership plays an important role in our active community!Monthly meetings with speakers/training, support at local events, picnics, and parades! [more]. We assist with crowd and traffic control, staff cooling rooms, and occasionally get called out to help locate a missing person. After Basic Training, you are invited to become a registered Disaster Service Worker (DSW) and become involved in community response efforts and provide valuable services during emergencies.
Monthly Meetings
Martinez Area CERT holds Monthly Meetings on the 2nd Thursday of each month. These meetings start at 6:30 pm and run until about 8 pm. Each month we review CERT business and have a presentation. Presentations alternate between reviewing the perishable skills that are needed in times of emergency and preparedness topics from our community, government, and businesses. Meetings are normally held in the library Room at the Martinez Senior Center 818 Green St., Martinez. The community is most welcome to attend.
Use this link for the Monthly Meetings on zoom. Join a few minutes before the 6:30 pm meeting by clicking here.
Community Outreach
- Visit us at any of these community events – we look forward to seeing you.
- Community outreach – Secure Your Space Project at the Boys and Girls Club in Martinez (more about that event)
Teamwork is the Dreamwork
- There is no “I” in Team photo gallery.
- Cal Fire thanks CERT Volunteers (including two from Martinez) for staffing a call center for the SCU Lightning Complex Fire.
The Martinez Area CERT Foundation
The Martinez Area CERT Foundation was formed in 2021 and serves to provide equipment and supplies, promote awareness and raise funds for Martinez Area CERT. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity recognized by the IRS and California Franchise Tax Board to accept tax deductible gifts. The Foundation is comprised of a volunteer Board of Directors and at-large community members from the Martinez Area CERT organization sponsored by the Martinez Police Department. You can see the board listing here. All donations are tax deductible! We will send you a confirmation letter for your tax records. Thank you for considering a donation to CERT. Visit The Foundation website here: martinezcertfndn.org
Podcasts you don’t want to miss!
The Big One.
- Remember the big Northridge quake? National Public Radio has a series called The Big One: Your Survival Guide.
“When The Big One hits it’ll take under two minutes for more than 10 million Southern Californians to lose internet, power, and a sense of security.” Host Jacob Margolis and Producer Misha Euceph take you on a journey to understand what the catastrophic earthquake will mean for Los Angeles, the U.S., and the world. This is what you need to know to survive.
FEMA
- FEMA offers several interesting audio podcasts.
The FEMA Podcast is an audio series available to anyone interested in learning more about the agency, hearing about innovation in the field of emergency management, and listening to stories about communities and individuals recovering after disasters.
- We’ve featured a few of FEMA’s PrepTalks in past posts:
- What We “Know”
- Practice, Practice, Practice
- Social Capital in Disaster Mitigation and Recovery
Videos
- Got a few minutes? Check out our Lunch & Learn series for a bite of helpful information.
- Secure Your Space Project at the Boys and Girls Club in Martinez (more about that event)
- Cal Fire thanks CERT Volunteers (including two from Martinez) for staffing a call center for the SCU Lightning Complex Fire (Sept. 2020)
- FEMA’s YouTube channel also has lots of helpful information.
Your Future is up to you
If we want to survive the next fire, earthquake, or flood, we’ll need to take steps to minimize the harm that these natural disasters will cause. Training will help. Our free 24 hour full preparedness training is offered each year.View here. We encourage you to take any of our free trainings and classes – being prepared will help you and your loved ones stay safe! [Sign up here]