Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

On Saturday, November 5, the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program, in conjunction with the City of Napa Fire Department, will be holding an emergency training exercise in the City of Napa at Fuller Park. The exercise will focus on building assessment after an earthquake, teamwork, and radio use. 

To participate in the exercise, you must have completed a CERT basic course. 

The exercise schedule is:

  • 0830 to 0930 Exercise Registration
  • 0930 Exercise Briefing
  • 1000 Exercise Play – Start
  • 1130 Exercise Play – End
  • 1135 Exercise Debrief
  • 1200 Exercise End 

If you would like to participate, please email your name to [email protected]

CERT Training

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates people about the hazards that affect the Napa Valley and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, personal preparedness, and disaster medical operations. People who go through CERT training have a better understanding of the potential threats to their home, workplace and community and can take the right steps to lessen the effects of these hazards on themselves, their homes or workplace. If a disaster happens that overwhelms local response capability, CERT members can apply the training learned in the classroom and during exercises to give critical support to their family, loved ones, neighbors or associates in their immediate area until help arrives. When help does arrive, CERTs provide useful information to responders and support their efforts, as directed, at the disaster site. CERT members can also assist with non-emergency projects that improve the safety of the community. In the Napa Valley the CERT training is provided though the collaborative efforts various emergency agencies and coordinated by Napa County.

Following a major disaster in the Napa Valley, first responders who provide emergency services will not always be able to meet the immediate demand for these services. The high number of number of victims, communication failures and road blockages will prevent people from accessing emergency services they have come to expect at a moment's notice. Individuals will need to rely on themselves in order to meet their immediate lifesaving and life sustaining needs.

Mission Statement

Napa Valley Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is a community based and community supported volunteer organization staffed by local community members, that is self-contained and self-sustained, which can self-deploy to assist the local community, such as during a large-scale disaster.

Example Emergency

CERT’s role in a large scale (5.5 and greater) earthquake will be to self-activate and complete an “initial windshield survey” of a defined area within the affected community and report the information gathered to their designated Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

In other disasters and/or emergencies, Napa Valley CERT members shall be activated through the use of the Emergency Volunteer Center (EVC) to assist communities, by performing specific tasks, as assigned by the (AHJ) Authority Having Jurisdiction.

CERT Class Schedule & Registration

Our class schedule is located on our Training Opportunities page. Email to register for classes.