Goleta Hosts Annual CERT Exercise – Learn How to Participate
Do you know what would happen if a train derailed in Santa Barbara County? Participate in the Annual Countywide CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) Exercise on Saturday, October 26 to find out. Hosted by the City of Goleta, there are two ways to become involved with this drill, as a CERT participant or a volunteer victim.
CERT graduates will put their skills to use, and volunteer victims will learn the importance of CERT and can sign up for future CERT classes. The importance of this annual drill is to provide CERT volunteers with training that will help them know how to respond to an event when professional responders may be delayed. The goal is to teach skill sets that you can apply to help yourself, your family, your neighbors and your community after a disaster strikes.
Please choose the appropriate “ticket” when signing up for this event. Anyone interested in participating in a real-life emergency experience (train derailment) should sign up by October 20 at CERTexercise2019.Eventbrite.com. Attendees MUST RSVP to participate in this drill.
Countywide CERT Exercise Details
Saturday, October 26, 2019
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (Stay for a free lunch and debrief until 1:30 p.m.)
27 S La Patera Lane, close to the Goleta Amtrak station (Old Direct Relief Building)
Sign up here
CERT Participants – Arrive at 9:00 a.m. You must be a CERT Basic Course graduate to participate in this drill (graduated with a CERT vest and backpack). You will be testing your skills as if this was a real-life emergency. Bring all CERT gear to the drill (helmet, vest, backpack, gloves, etc.). We will provide some equipment, but what you have is what you will use.
Volunteer Victims – Arrive at 9:00 a.m. You do NOT have to be a CERT graduate to be a volunteer victim. You will be playing the role of a victim of a disaster and will be given an “identity” to act out. The CERT participants will be rescuing you. Wear comfortable clothes that you do not care about (you might want to throw them out afterwards). Service hours are available to all volunteer victims that need them.
The drill will be completed by 12:00 p.m. Lunch will be provided for those who stay for the debrief following the drill. The debrief will end at 1:30 p.m.
Again you must RSVP by October 20 at CERTexercise2019.Eventbrite.com in order to participate.
The City of Goleta holds CERT trainings periodically and due to popularity these trainings fill up fast. While a date for the next CERT training has not been set, if you are interested, please fill out your https://forms.gle/LGDV3iJY3Ne5Ukux6. contact information here to be added to the wait list and notified when a new class is offered.