Coastside CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) is an emergency preparedness volunteer organization focused on creating a ready and resilient community along the San Francisco Bay Area coast from the southern side of the Tom Lantos Tunnel (Devil’s Slide) to Tunitas Creek Road.

Join Us to get updates and safety information

If you’d like to join Coastside CERT, please fill out this form.

This is the new way to take CERT Basic Training - Start Now and Graduate by November 8th!

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact the Coastside and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, earthquake survival skills, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations.

Coastside CERT basic training also offers additional instruction in basic radio communication, neighborhood emergency response organization, evacuation information, and tips for surviving a fire in the Tom Lantos tunnels.

Using the training learned in the classroom and during CERT exercises, members can assist their community or workplace following an emergency event when professional responders are not immediately available to help. Coastside CERT Hybrid Basic Training is a powerful and informative course in actionable local emergency preparedness knowledge.

The course is FREE. You will receive a CERT manual in class and CERT backpack kit upon course completion.

This free training includes an online lecture portion and is to be followed up by an in-person, hands-on, practical portion.

ONLINE LECTURE PORTION OF YOUR TRAINING

• Estimated Time = 12 hours

• Access it on your mobile device or computer.

• Complete it at your pace and at your convenience, but finish by November 6, 2020.

• Course progress will be saved and can be resumed later.

• You will receive the link to the online portion of your training once you register.

• Periodically, Chief Cosgrave will hold Check-In Zoom sessions with registered students to add local Coastside knowledge to your online training and answer you questions. With a genuine passion for teaching, Chief Cosgrave weaves his three decades of Coastside first responder experiences in and out of FEMA's basic training curriculum with threads of practical life-saving skills, relatable stories to boost, your Coastside survival IQ, and a wicked sense of humor. He knows where all the bodies are buried, so to speak (says he won't tell :), and shares his amazing experiences to teach you, your family, and your neighbors how to stay safe.

• Certificate of online completion must be emailed to coastsidecert@gmail prior to the hands-on, practical portion of your training beginning November 7, 2020.

IN-PERSON, HANDS-ON, PRACTICAL PORTION OF YOUR TRAINING

• Estimated Time = 16 hrs

• Date and Time: November 7th-8th, 9-5

• Location: Coastside Fire Station 40, 1191 Main St., Half Moon Bay, 94019

• All COVID-19 precautions will be observed: temperature checks, masks and gloves, social distancing, handwashing, and sanitizing.

• Must attend both days and times in order to receive final certificate of course completion. You will be a full-fledged CERT graduate by end of session on November 8, 2020.

• Chief Cosgrave will design the format and content of the November 7 & 8 in-person training based on localized knowledge and this standard curriculum checklist. No slides. The emphasis is on learning by doing: Instructors demonstrate and students practice the skills, progressing from one skill station to another.

If you have any questions, please contact Coastside CERT Program Coordinator Cynthia Sherrill (coastsidecert@gmail.com). Thank you!

Sign up here

Don't know what CERT is? Check out this video!

The Great Coastside ShakeOUT happened on October 10, 2020 at 10:00 AM

• Date: Saturday, October 10, 2020

• Total Time: Exercise Set-up to Clean-up: 9:00 AM to noon

• Exercise Time: Exercise: 10:00 to 10:15 Earthquake Webinar via Zoom.

• Exercise Activities: 10:15 to 11:15 Neighborhood participant counts.

• Debriefing: 11:30 to noon via Zoom Video Conference.

Step 1 - 8/20

Here are Chief Cosgrave's slides explaining the overall concept of the Area-wide Radio Drill, Jenny Goshorn's presentation of the Frenchman's Creek Drill, and Jim Williams' slides introducing his September 3rd walkie-talkie tutorial webinar.

Step 2

Neighborhood leads who want to participate invite their residents to Jim Williams' walkie-talkie webinar tutorial.

Step 3 - 9/3

Walkie Talkie tutorial. The link to the recording is here.

CERT member Jim Williams presents basic walkie talkie radio communications training. General disaster communications are summarized and operation of the walkie talkie radio model adopted by most neighborhoods, the Midland GXT 1000, is explained in detail. The link to the walkie-talkie slides is here.

Step 4

16 Participating neighborhoods stage their own practice drills sometime between 9/4 - 10/9.

Step 4.a - 9/20 Q & A with Chief Cosgrave

Chief Cosgrave hosted a Q & A Zoom on Sunday, 9/20, 3-4 PM, to answer questions about the 10/10 drill.

The link to the recording is here.

Here are his slides.

Step 4.b - Resources for the Neighborhoods

Neighborhood Maps are here

10/10 Information for All Event Planners

10/10 Information for All Participants

10/10 Exercise Participation Sign

All three 10/10 documents above in a single file.

10/10 Neighborhood Slide Deck

CERT Walkie Talkie Band Plan

Additional Earthquake Preparedness Links from Chief Cosgrave:

• Coastside CERT Great ShakeIn Part I webinar 5/13/20

• Coastside CERT Great ShakeIn Part 2 - Prepare, Recognize, Survive, Recover webinar 5/19/20

• The Great California ShakeOut - California-wide Earthquake Drill 10/15/20

• California Earthquake Early Warning Information

Step 5 - 10/10 Great Coastside ShakeOut!

Sign up here and join us on Saturday October 10th from 10 am - 12:00 noon!

Area-wide exercise begins at 10am with participating neighborhoods and a Department Operation Center (DOC) at Coastside Fire Station 40.

15 minutes into our Webinar there will be a large (simulated) earthquake and we will have an exercise at the neighborhood level with communication to the Coastside Department Operating Center(DOC).

11:30-noon will be a recap of the neighborhood participation.

Neighborhood participation will be counted by placing a provided piece of paper in front of your house that volunteers in the exercise will count and report to the coastside DOC- We ask that you also turn on a porch light to draw the volunteers attention. No one will come on your property they will just count from the street (we call it a "windshield survey" and hope you will assist).