Coastside CERT organization.
There is a local volunteer organization in each of the Coastside neighborhoods, called Coastside Community Emergency Response Team (Coastside CERT). El Granada (EG) is one such neighborhood. Its database includes about 360 EG households who signed up online to learn about and be kept informed about CERT news. More than 50 EG residents have gone through formal CERT certification training sponsored by the Coastside Fire Protection District. That orientation incudes how to assess emergencies, and basic lifesaving. EG CERT has divided El Granada into 9 informal Zones, for assembling and reporting out on post- emergency status. Many neighbors are, or could be, volunteering as Block Captains/Leaders, to get to know and be ready to ask their nearby neighbors who needs what urgent help. Many of the Block Leaders have Family Radio Service (FRS) radios, which they will use to report up to the Zone Leaders, and to the overall EG CERT Leader. Around 20 EG residents also have HAM radios. They will be monitoring the status reports from the FRS users, and they will report our status to emergency services responders in Half Moon Bay and over the hill in San Mateo County. FRS and HAM radios may be our only method of communication to and from the outside world – to tell those who can help us what we most need, and to learn what they recommend we do – until normal communications are restored. CERT’s plans for working all this out to full implementation, have been delayed by the COVID pandemic.
Additional Information
This brochure provides additional information about our local CERT team, and recommendations for emergency preparedness.