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October 2025
CERT Auxiliary of Santa Cruz Country
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Congrats to our Newest CERTs
Small but Mighty Mountain Folks!
| | September CERT Basic grads came from Boulder Creek And Las Cumbres. They battled everything from hot temperatures to accidents on Rte 9, but stuck it out and are now CERT DSWs. Congratulations! | |
Did you feel it?
Yes, that was an earthquake at 2:56 am on Monday night. Folks from Santa Rosa to Santa Cruz reported being awaken by the 4.3 quake centered in Berkeley. It was a perfect reminder that earthquakes happen anytime and anywhere in California. Although this quake was not large enough to set off the MyShake early warning alert, it certainly woke a few people up from their sound sleep.
Did you feel the quake? How did you react? Are you prepared in case the next one is bigger or closer? Do you have MyShake loaded onto your phone with your home location set? Do you have shoes under your bed in case you need to get out of your house quickly?
You can download the MyShake app at the Apple App Store or at the Google Play store.
or .
| | | | October 16th is Great ShakeOut Time! | | |
This year's International ShakeOut Day is October 16, when millions of people worldwide will participate in earthquake drills at work, school, or home!
At 10:16 a.m. (local time) on 10/16, you can join millions of people across the world practicing earthquake safety.
While we encourage participation with everyone, you can register your ShakeOut drill for any day of the year, and drill at a time of your choice. You can also include people in multiple locations through video conferencing.
¡El día internacional ShakeOut de este año es el 16 de octubre, cuando millones de personas alrededor del mundo participarán en simulacros de terremoto desde la oficina, la escuela, o el hogar!
A las 10:16 de la mañana (hora local) del 16/10, puede unirse a personas de todo el mundo que practican la seguridad contra terremotos.
Aunque le invitamos a participar con nosotros, puede registrar su simulacro ShakeOut cualquier otro día a cualquier hora. También puede incluir personas en diferentes lugares a través de video conferencia.
A Quick Guide to Earthquakes
| | Have a Question? Ask a CERT | | |
Thinking about becoming a CERT? Have a few questions about CERT Basic classes, what it means to be a CERT, or home disaster preparations? Our CERT members conduct outreach around the county on a regular basis. This month's next event is great fun for everyone.
According to the Central Fire District of Santa Cruz County, they "will be holding their annual Open House event on Saturday, September 27th, 2025. This will be a fun and engaging event for all ages, and is free to the public! Several agencies will be attending, with valuable life safety information for kids and adults. Tour an ambulance with American Medical Response medics, Meet a K9 dog from Capitola PD, learn about neighborhood disaster readiness from CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams) and the Fire Safe Council of Santa Cruz County, and see live rescue demonstrations from Monterey Bay Search Dogs.
Other presenters include the American Red Cross, Santa Cruz Sheriffs, State Parks Lifeguards, and more! Our own Central FD Firefighters will be there as well with live firefighting demos, a Junior Firefighter course, and dunk tank. Glitter tattoos will be provided by Fiesta Face Painting, and delicious food/refreshments will be for sale from Hernandez Market and Kona Shaved Ice. And as always, Sparky the Fire Dog will be attending to meet and take photos with his biggest (and smallest) fans!
We are hosting a charity raffle this year, to benefit the American Red Cross, with a number of amazing prizes from local businesses throughout Santa Cruz County.
The event will be held from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM, at our Aptos Fire Station at 6934 Soquel Drive, Aptos CA, 95003. Public parking is available behind the station in the Mar Vista Elementary parking lot. We hope to see you there!"
| | Upcoming Trainings for Everyone | |
CERT Basic Training for All
It's that time to get trained in CERT Basic. Make it a family affair with parents and children as young as 14 being trained together. We have classes throughout the county in both evening and Weekend Warrior format. CERT Basic classes are free to anyone who lives or works in Santa Cruz County.
Fall classes are listed below. All classes are 21 hours of training including lecture and hands-on practice. All classes include a full final day that includes a practical exercise at our training facility in Live Oak. Thanks so much to Central Fire for making it possible.
CERT Basic - South County & Weekend Warriors
For the General Public and CERTs.
Teens welcome with a parent if under 16
Watsonville Fire Station 2 and Central Fire, Live Oak.
Sunday, October 12 and 19th, 9am to 5 pm, Watsonville Fire, 370 Airport Blvd and
Sunday, October 26th, 9 - 4:30 at Central Fire Community Room, 930 17th Ave, Live Oak. All 3 days required. Class taught in English. Print materials available in Spanish.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
CERT Basic - Mid County
For the General Public and CERTs.
Teens welcome with a parent if under 16
All classes at Central Fire, Live Oak
Thursday nights, 6 - 9:30 pm, October 30th, November 6th, 13th, and 20th, and Sunday, November 23rd, 9 am - 4:30 pm, Central Fire Community Room, 930 17th Ave, Live Oak
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
INSTRUCTORS : PLEASE SIGN UP HERE. Remember to choose the tab for the correct class. Thanks so much
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Stop the Bleed class for CERTS and the public
Do you own a chain saw? Ever been in an accident? Cut your food on a piece of glass? Accidents happen, and bleeding accidents can be fatal if the bleeding is not stopped rapidly.
What: 2- hour hands-on Stop the Bleed class
Who: Anyone 13 and up who wants to be prepared. (Under 16 with a guardian)
Where: Central Fire Admin classroom, Live Oak
When: 10 am - Noon, Saturday December 6th
Presented by: CERT instructors Dr. John Hanley and Joyce Smith
In this STOP THE BLEED course, you’ll learn three quick techniques to help save a life before someone bleeds out by: Applying direct pressure, packing a wound, and correctly using a tourniquet.
These three techniques will empower you to assist in an emergency and potentially save a life. Class limited to16 participants.
SIGN UP HERE
| | Scan the QR code to register | |
Advanced Trainings for CERT DSWs
CERT Planning Chief John Collins, CERT Auxiliary Executive Director Mary Edmund, and Deputy Operations Chief JoMarie Faulkerson developed a series of four advanced trainings that take CERT Basic a step further. All CERT DSWs are encouraged to take this series of 4 classes after taking the Basic Training course. Classes are repeated and can be taken in any order.
What should a CERT member know before they are activated as a Disaster Service Worker (DSW)? The Basic Training course teaches us how to support ourselves, family and neighborhood in the event of a disaster but does not teach all the skills needed to operate with local government agencies or first responders. These four modules teach a DSW about the organization that they work under, personal safety, effective communications, and emergency medical skills.
All CERTs who complete the full series will be recognized with an "Advanced" designation on their badge. Join the CERTs who have already earned the new badge!
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO AND TO REGISTER
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CERTS, MRC and the County Training Together
In October CERT and MRC (Medical Reserve Corps) volunteers who attended a training together in August will get together again in October, this time as part of an exercise with OR3 and other County employees. The purpose of this exercise is to evaluate Santa Cruz County’s ability to activate, operate, and coordinate shelter and intake operations following a major earthquake. Test the County’s emergency plans, interagency coordination, resource management, and ability to support individuals with access and functional needs, including pets and non-English speakers.
This should be an interesting exercise for all the groups involved. Look for our next newsletter where we will share lessons learned and best practices we can use in the future.
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Gary Watson, always a part of CERT
Gary Watson, former CERT and long-term ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Services) member, passed away last week after a long battle with cancer. You may have seen Gary over the years if you participated in events such as the Santa Cruz Triathalon or heard his voice on the weekly Ham radio Nets. And, for those of us who have a Santa Cruz County volunteer DSW badge, be it CERT, ARES, MRC, or Equine Evac, the odds are pretty good that Gary was the one who made it for you. K6PDL, we will miss you.
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Thanks so much to recent donors and supporters. Without their support we could not continue to offer free CERT Basic and Stop the Bleed classes, offer well-stocked packs and PPE to all new CERT graduates, and maintain supplies to use during county disasters and activations.
Whenever we have CERT Basic or Stop the Bleed classes you may see a donation box on the sign-in table. Those small donations add up and have helped purchase consumables for classes. Thank you so much!
Many of the dollars we receive come from the State of California and Santa Cruz County who receive funds to disburse for disaster-related programs from FEMA. Although we have received allocated funds for Fiscal Year 24-25, grants from the Federal Government have been reduced or eliminated for the future. This will mean a reduction of future funding for the Auxiliary. One very visible change that has already happened is that FEMA will no longer be sending us print editions of the CERT Basic and Train the Trainer manuals. Although with careful pre-planning earlier this year, we are good for a while, this change will eventually catch up with us.
Please consider making a donation to help us in 2025/2026 and check with your employer for matching grant programs. It will mean a lot to the CERT program in the future. Thank you.
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This and That for CERTs
Volunteer Grant Writer Wanted
As a non-profit, we are dependent on donations including grants from a variety of sources from the State to groups such as our local Rotary and the Monterey Peninsula Foundation. It takes a special skill to write grant proposals. Executive Director Mary Edmund has years of experience writing grant proposals for non-profits and would like to pass those skills on to someone willing to assist in this vital project for the CERT Auxiliary. Interested? Please contact CERTAuxiliary@gmail.com. Note: This volunteer does not need to be a CERT, but a background in the program is an asset.
Volunteer CERT Deputy Planning Chief Wanted
The CERT Auxiliary is looking for an assistant to help John Collins, CERT Planning Chief. The Planning Chief and Deputy are the people contacted by the County or local fire and law agencies when they need help from CERT. Some of the responsibilities of the Planning staff are: Preparing and documenting Incident Action Plans (IAP), Managing information and maintaining situational awareness, Tracking resources/personnel assigned to the incident, maintaining documentation and planning for demobilization. The Planning staff also oversees continuing education for CERTs. If interested, please contact John Collins and/or Mary Edmund.
The National CERT Association
Did you know we have a National CERT Association? We do, and it is worth joining. They are building a resource library available to all Association members. One of the resources available is all CERT manuals in pdf form in multiple languages. The Association also sponsors and organizes our annual CERT Conference. If you are interested in joining, click here.
The National CERT Conference 2026 is in California!
Save the dates and join us in Irvine next summer. The CERT Conference is a wonderful opportunity to meet, discuss, and learn from CERTs from across the country and from other countries! If you want to become a CERT Instructor or Program Manager those trainings will be offered the week of the main conference.
When: August 24 - 29th, 2026
Where: Irvine, CA
We hope to have a good showing from Santa Cruz County!
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“Think of giving not as a duty, but as a privilege."
John D. Rockefeller, Jr
Please consider a donation to the CERT Auxiliary or your local CERT team.
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