Woodside Portola Valley Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

About the CERT Program

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program educates volunteers about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills. Skills include fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations.

If a disaster occurs that overwhelms local response capability, CERT members can apply the training learned in the program to provide critical support for their family, loved ones, neighbors and associates in their immediate area until help arrives. When help does arrive, CERTs are able to provide useful information to responders and support their efforts, as directed, at the disaster site. CERT members are also able to assist with non-emergency projects that improve the safety of the community.

The WPV-CERT program is sponsored by the Woodside Fire Protection District. Anyone who lives or works in Woodside, Portola Valley, Emerald Hills, Ladera, Los Trancos, Skyline, or Vista Verde is invited to take CERT training!  Once you're completed your CERT classes, you are eligible to join the WPV CERT Team! 

Note: All CERT training academies in the United States use the same curriculum based on FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Academy) standards.  If you have completed the CERT training courses anywhere in the USA, come join the WPV CERT team!

Our Mission

Our mission is to prepare the citizens of the Woodside and Portola Valley areas to become self-sufficient during and after a major emergency or disaster. CERT members participate as an organized volunteer emergency response team that supplements our first responders in times of disaster and emergency situations. 

Benefits of CERT

Disaster preparedness and hazard mitigation can minimize the effects of a disaster and facilitate recovery. The benefits of this program are numerous and invaluable. 

• Increases the level of overall disaster readiness in our area

• Provides emergency skills that participants will use in day-to-day activities and emergencies to keep themselves, their families, and their neighbors safe

• Increases community pride and improves the quality of life for the people of the Woodside and Portola Valley areas