Community Emergency
Response Team (CERT)
Status Report
Public Safety, Finance and Strategic Support Committee Meeting - Agenda Item (d)4.
Presented by Alvin A. Galang, Assistant to the City Manager Office of Emergency Management
March 21, 2024 1
CERT Background • 1985 – Mexico City Earthquake • Volunteers rescued hundreds • However, over 100 (untrained) volunteers also became victims
• 1986 – CERT is created
• Los Angeles Fire Department
• 1993 – CERT becomes a national
program • More than 600,000 CERT members
nationwide
2 Current Information
• Over 1,100 CERT members in the City of San José
• Monthly 20-hour trainings offered in two formats
• In-person: Two days of classroom
instruction; followed by a Skills Day
• Hybrid: live, virtual Zoom classroom session;
followed by an in-person Skills Day
• Focus on marginalized communities
• Communities that disasters and
emergencies may have a greater impact on
• Areas with larger numbers of native Spanish,
Vietnamese, and Chinese language speakers
3 Moving Forward • Partnerships • San José Neighborhood CERT • San José State University • Project Hope • Community-based Organizations • Additional Training Format • Self-paced online instruction; followed by in-person knowledge and skills assessment
• Data and Analytics • CERT database and dashboard creation by SJNCERT and SJSU Management
Information Systems students
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Thank You
Alvin A. Galang, MPH
Assistant to the City Manager
Office of Emergency Management
[email protected]
408-839-4358
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