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.
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If you’d like to join Coastside CERT, please fill out form.
Sign Up for New CERT Hybrid Basic Training
This is the new way to take CERT Basic Training - Start Now and Graduate on
April 10, 2021!
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 portion followed-up by an in-person, hands-on, practical training day led by Division Chief David Cosgrave at Coastside Fire Station 40 in Half Moon Bay on April 10, 2021.
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.
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.
Chief Cosgrave will hold his next Check-In Zoom session with registered students to add local Coastside knowledge to your online training and answer your questions on March 16, 6:30 - 8:00 PM. 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.com prior to the in-person portion of your training, which will be offered again in early 2021.
IN-PERSON, HANDS-ON, PRACTICAL PORTION OF YOUR TRAINING
Estimated Time = 7 hrs
Date and Time: April 10, 2021, 9:00 AM-4:00 PM
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 full day in order to receive final certificate of course completion. You will be a full-fledged CERT graduate by end of session.
Chief Cosgrave has designed the in-person training day based on localized knowledge and the Hybrid CERT 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 followed by team participation in disaster simulations.
If you have any questions, please contact Coastside CERT Program Coordinator Cynthia Sherrill (coastsidecert@gmail.com). Thank you!
Additional Resources:
Once you have signed up we will send you Pro Tips for How to Get Started + Study Guide
Don't know what CERT is? Check out this video!
Local Safety Alert - When heavy rain is predicted, Coastside CERT may be called to assist South Coast CERT (Branch 3) & South Skyline CERT (Branch 4) with preparations to mitigate hazards in the CZU Burn Scar area.
The San Mateo County Office of Emergency Services is planning for potential catastrophic mudslides as an aftermath of the CZU Fire in the following areas:
Whitehouse Canyon (SMC-E038*)
Gazos Creek (SMC-E019*)
Butano Canyon (SMC-E098*)
Loma Mar (SMC-E018*)
You can watch the full recording of the webinar, which was first presented on December 16, 2020. This webinar will teach you about the causes, damage, and preparations you can make to avoid mudslide and debris flow hazards. Winter 2021 weather predictions and resources are presented by NOAA meteorologist Brian Garcia. Chiefs Cosgrave and Delay present the CERT Flood, Landslides and Thunderstorm Annexes. Learn more to stay safe in local conditions.