Sonoma County to offer Community Emergency Response Team trainings

The public is invited to join a unique team of volunteers who have received advanced training, free of charge, to help their families, neighborhoods and communities prepare for and respond to wildfires and other disasters. The Sonoma County Department of Emergency Management has several upcoming trainings for the Community Emergency Response Team, or CERT. A nationally respected training program, CERT is the focus of the department’s attempt at engaging Sonoma County residents in disaster preparedness.

A CERT team is made up of volunteers who are trained in how to prepare for and respond to disasters, so that residents can better help one another until first responders arrive. CERT basic training involves 24 hours of class time. It is offered throughout the year in English and Spanish, typically over three weekend days, weeknights, or an online and in-person hybrid format.

This past weekend, the third English-language CERT class completed its final training day learning basic first aid, conducting light search and rescue and practicing fire suppression with fire extinguishers. The students also participated in a simulated disaster that allowed them to utilize all the skills they had learned during their three-day CERT training program.

Prior CERT trainings included two in Sonoma Valley this spring, one in English and one in Spanish. It was the first time CERT training has been offered in Sonoma Valley in Spanish. Supervisor Rebecca Hermosillo attended the graduation of both the English and Spanish CERT trainings at El Verrano School.

“CERT trainings are a vital part of community preparedness,” said Supervisor Rebecca Hermosillo, who represents the Sonoma Valley. “It is great to know that we have a trained corps of community members who can jump in and assist first responders in a disaster.”

For information about upcoming CERT trainings go to: https://bit.ly/SoCoCERT2025

For questions about CERT, please contact program coordinator Deisy Vargas at deisy.vargas@sonoma-county.org.

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Media Contact:
Matt Brown, Communications Specialist
publicaffairs@sonoma-county.org
(707) 565-3040
575 Administration Drive, Suite 104A
Santa Rosa, CA 95403