About

Our History-

The Emergency Preparedness (EP) Committee in PMC, has been storing supplies in three separate caches in order to strategically have these supplies available in an Emergency. The EP Committee was able to go a step further in their efforts to assist their community's when Santa Barbara County Fire Chief Randy Coleman recommended starting a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). The first CERT Academy was conducted in 2008. There are currently about 40 personnel on the team, both PMC homeowners and PMCPOA employees, that have completed the 20 hour FEMA course and are ready to respond to an emergency. How do we prepare? PMC CERT meets the second Saturday of each month, from 1000hrs -1200hrs in the Condor Room in PMC. There are both classroom and field trainings conducted at these meetings. Team members are required to maintain proficiency in skills and knowledge. A minimum of 20 hours of training is required annually, along with two disaster drills and/or community service events to maintain member in good standing status. First Aid/CPR & AED training is offered to CERT and community members every year. CERT Academy training is offered every even year depending on student participation. PMC CERT received a trailer stocked with emergency supplies from Kern Office of Emergency Services (OES) in November 2008. February 2016 Kern County and Pine Mountain Club Property Owners Association signed an agreement for the use of the Kern County Fire Department equipment and work shop buildings by PMC CERT

National History-

The CERT concept was developed and implemented by the Los Angeles City Fire Department in 1985. The Whittier Narrows earthquake in 1987 underscored the area-wide threat of a major disaster in California. Further, it confirmed the need for training civilians to meet their immediate needs.

CERT became a national program in 1993. There are now CERT programs in all 50 states, including many tribal nations and U.S. territories. Each is unique to its community and all are essential to building a Culture of Preparedness in the United States. There are over 2,700 local CERT programs nationwide and more than 600,000 people have trained since CERT became a national program.