East County CERT

07/04/2025

04/08/2025

On Saturday, April 5th, East County CERT held the final exercise for the Basic Training Academy of 2025. There were 15 students from all four of the cities we serve taking part in the exercise, which was facilitated and evaluated by senior CERT members, Santee Fire Department and Heartland Fire & Rescue personnel.

It was a challenging and fun table top exercise, reinforcing concepts and procedures acquired during their pervious training. The best part is that we have some great new volunteers joining our team!

Congratulations to the Class of 2025 graduates!

City of El CajonCity of La MesaCity Government of Lemon Grove

03/17/2025

This past Saturday, East County CERT was honored to participate at the Lemon Grove School District, Multicultural Fair and Family Day. CERT volunteers talked to people about disaster preparedness, and how to safely deal with home utilities in an emergency. We also taught people about amateur radio operations and to top it all off, we provided free instruction on Hands Only CPR.

It was a wonderful event and we look forward to attending next year!
City Government of Lemon GroveLemon Grove School District

01/13/2025

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program helps train people to be better prepared to respond to emergency situations in the community. When emergencies happen, CERT members are trained to give critical support to first responders, provide immediate assistance to victims, and much more. If you want to be better prepared to help your community, come and join our team!

01/09/2025

Be informed, be ready.

Santa Ana winds will restrengthen Thursday and last into Friday for inland areas. Slightly weaker than Wednesday for areas north of San Diego County. Slightly stronger than Wednesday for San Diego County. Critical fire weather conditions are expected!

01/08/2025

In case you missed this information before, Genasys Protect is a new piece of technology that allows first responder agencies to provide disaster notifications, evacuation information, shelter locations, road closures and much more to the public in a timely manner. Information from Genasys Protect can be viewed at the website (https://protect.genasys.com/) or by downloading the free Genasys Protect App.

Using the free app, you can subscribe to specific “zones”, such as areas where you live, work, or frequently visit. Subscribing allows you to receive push notifications and view real time updates on status changes for any incident within San Diego County.

For more information about Genasys Protect, the app, or additional preparedness resources, please visit www.AlertSD.org

01/06/2025

We are now taking applications for our 2025 training academy. For more information about CERT and how to apply, please go to https://www.heartlandfire.org/164/East-County-CERT---Disaster-Preparedness

01/01/2025

Wishing you and yours all the best in the coming year.

12/25/2024

No matter how you may choose to celebrate the season,

11/29/2024

This is the time of year when many people will be picking out this year’s Christmas tree. Remember these safety tips when you chose your tree and throughout the holiday season.

PICKING YOUR TREE - Choose a tree with fresh, green needles that do not fall off when touched.

PLACING YOUR TREE - Before placing the tree in the stand, cut 2” from the base of the trunk.

• Make sure the tree is at least three feet away from any heat source, like fireplaces, radiators, candles, heat vents or lights.

• Make sure the tree is not blocking an exit.

• Add water to the tree stand. Be sure to add water daily.

• Keep pets from drinking tree water and don’t add toxic tree preservatives to it.

LIGHTING THE TREE - Use lights that are listed by a qualified testing laboratory. Some lights are designed specifically for indoor or outdoor use only.

• Replace any string of lights with worn or broken cords or loose bulb connections.

• LED lights are run cooler and require less power than traditional incandescent lights.

• Read manufacturer’s instructions for number of light strands to connect.

• Never use lit candles to decorate the tree.

• Always turn off Christmas tree lights before leaving home or going to bed