Congratulations to the twenty Goleta residents that completed their Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training! The 2016 spring/summer class lasted for eight weeks, April 28 – June 16. These residents (from teenagers to those with disabilities to Spanish/English language speakers) came together to learn to be prepared and respond effectively during a disaster.

Participants learned different aspects of fire safety, medical operations, search and rescue, disaster psychology, terrorism and team organization. The final week was a full scale drill simulating a natural disaster, which happened to coincide with the Sherpa (aka Scherpa) Fire. This was a strong reminder that disasters do occur in our community and we need to be prepared. Emergency services will not be available to help everyone directly following a disaster, so it is important for civilians to be prepared and take action in order to help others in their community, including loved ones. If you are interested in learning more about the next CERT training, please contact Vyto Adomaitis at vadomaitis@cityofgoleta.org.