CERT Parties While Malibu Burns - Not Really

Proving that the Malibu Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is not just a bunch of highly trained people searching for an emergency to handle, CERT held its annual potluck holiday luncheon Saturday. In addition to great food and company, the revelers played a CERT version of Jeopardy and watched videos done by the CERT members during 2011.

Brad Davis, Malibu's emergency services coordinator and CERT leader extraordinaire, and his wife Claire (who donates many hours to CERT) were honored by the CERT members for duty above and beyond the call of duty. 

The CERT program was developed in 1985 by the city of Los Angeles Fire Department to provide basic training in safety and lifesaving skills to the general public. It has since been adopted and enhanced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Fire Academy. The course is now recognized nationwide and over 50,000 citizens have been trained to date.

CERT classes contain the following modules:

• Disaster Preparedness
• Fire Suppression
• Medical Class #1
• Medical Class #2
• Light Search And Rescue
• Terrorism
• Team Organization & Disaster Psychology
• Course Review & Disaster Simulation Drill

The city of Malibu has developed its own, specialized team of CERT volunteers. The team meets regularly at  and trains to support the activities of the city's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) as well as to be available to support the volunteer needs of associated agencies, such as the sheriff's and fire departments.

The purpose of Malibu CERT is to provide assistance, as needed, for emergency disaster response to the city of Malibu and surrounding communities and to educate and promote disaster/emergency awareness to all citizens.

For more information, contact Davis at 310-456-2489 ext. 260 or bdavis@malibucity.org.