Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

Join your neighbors in becoming disaster workers as members of the City of Del Mar's CERT! The CERT program teaches citizens basic emergency skills and educates them so that they can effectively respond to disasters as a part of a team. The program is modeled after the Los Angeles Fire Department's program, which has been established in various communities nationwide.

CERT training is designed to prepare you to help yourself, your family, and your neighbors in the event of a catastrophic disaster. Because emergency services personnel will not be able to help everyone immediately, you can make a difference by using the CERT training to save lives and protect property.

What does CERT training include?

CERT training covers basic skills that are important to know in a disaster when emergency services are not available. With training and practice and by working as a team, you will be able to do the greatest good for the greatest number of victims after and during a disaster, while protecting yourself from becoming a victim.

The CERT program provides an effective first-response capability. Acting as individuals first, then later as members of teams, trained CERT volunteers can fan out within their assigned areas, extinguishing small fires, turning off natural gas inlets to damaged homes, performing light search and rescue, and rendering basic medical treatment. Trained volunteers also offer an important potential workforce to service organizations in non-hazardous functions such as shelter support, crowd control, and evacuation.

How to join!

The Del Mar CERT is always looking for new volunteers. Volunteers are required to attend a 25 hour training course. The classes are free to all residents or employees of those communities who are 18 years or older. CERT members are trained in basic life- and property-saving skills in the event of a major disaster when professional services have not yet arrived or are overwhelmed.

The 25 hour CERT training course covers these topics: Disaster Preparedness (i.e.: Home and Workplace Preparedness, Disaster Workers); Wildland Urban Interface / Fire Safety; Disaster Medical Operations (i.e.: Triage, Treating Burns, Splinting, etc.); Light Search and Rescue Operations; CERT Organization; Disaster Psychology; Terrorism and CERT.

Academies are held in the Spring and Fall each year. To sign up, please contact Charles “Cap” Pinney by emailing Charles, or via phone at 858-354-5319.