Twenty-Six Community Members Gain Hands-On Emergency Preparedness Skills
Congratulations to the graduates of Goleta’s most recent Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) class! This was the largest CERT class in the South County in the past several years. Twenty-six community members received their Basic CERT completion certificate on March 21 at the Goleta Community Center. The participants spent 20 hours over the past three Saturdays learning essential skills of how to prepare and respond to a disaster. This is the second basic CERT course offered in Goleta this year and the 25th in the City’s history.
Goleta’s Emergency Services Coordinator Jason Levy is pleased with how the class turned out, he said, “This cohort consisted of highly engaged community members who demonstrated enthusiasm for learning and a strong commitment to supporting one another and their neighbors. These graduates are now part of Goleta’s growing network of trained residents who can support preparedness efforts, participate in volunteer opportunities, and step up during emergencies if needed.”
Participants learned hands-on skills across all CERT modules, including:
- Disaster preparedness and local hazard awareness
- Fire extinguisher use and utility safety
- Basic medical operations and triage
- Light search and rescue
- CERT team organization and communication
- Disaster psychology
- A final hands-on simulation to put their skills into practice
During the final simulated drill, participants worked together to locate victims, perform rescues, and conduct disaster medical operations. It was an eye-opening experience.
CERT graduate Jana Pierce said, “The exercise at the end of the class really brought home for me what really matters is how we all came together as individuals to put into practice building a team to help our community.”
The City extends heartfelt appreciation to our CERT instructors from the American Red Cross, Fire Safety Training Institute, Santa Barbara Food Bank, City of Santa Barbara, City of Carpinteria, and the Santa Barbara County Fire Protection District. Their expertise, passion, and commitment to community safety made this training a meaningful and empowering experience for everyone involved.
Residents are encouraged to sign up for alerts from Santa Barbara County at ReadySBC.org and check for upcoming CERT trainings scheduled for fall 2026 classes by visiting the City’s webpage at www.CityofGoleta.org/Preparedness.
Pictured above: participant recording number of victims during an exercise
Group photo at the end of the final exercise of all victim actors, participants, and instructors
Participants simulating carry out of a disaster victim
CERT participants hearing from County Fire outside of City Hall at class #2
CERT graduates with their certificates