Help is on the way: UCSB staff train to pitch in during a disaster

Campus Emergency Manager Jim Caesar oversees the program on campus, which has been taught at UCSB 61 times since 2010, and brings in members of Santa Barbara County Fire Department Station 17 and other community CERT trainers and experts to assist. Past groups have included staff, students and community members - the most recent group was mostly staff. Santa Barbara City Fire supports the final drill and assists UCSB in training the CERT instructors.

"What if 911 is not available?" Caesar asked during the first day of classroom-style training. "If we have a disaster that overwhelms the community and wipes out infrastructure - that's where we'd need you folks," he said, having issued special backpacks with tools, supplies, a hardhat and a vest. He and the other trainers were careful to note that CERT volunteers support emergency response efforts and enhance existing capabilities - they do not substitute for the services delivered by professional first responders. The CERT training offered on campus is voluntary, but everyone in the room had expressed an interest in learning new skills and helping out if needed.

"Having trained volunteers is good for the campus, but they can also take these skills home to help with their loved ones and in their neighborhoods. That's just as important," said Caesar. The backbone, he continued, is preparing yourself and being calm in an emergency.

Over three days the participants, who represented a range of different UCSB departments, learned practical disaster preparedness and received hands-on training in fire safety and suppression, light search and rescue, disaster medical operations, and teamwork and organization. At a minimum, they were encouraged and taught how to prepare their homes and neighbors' homes for a disaster, including stocking food, water and first aid. Beyond that, most finished the course with knowledge and skills they didn't previously have - which will enable them to help out in many types of emergencies.

After three long days and the acquisition of plenty of useful skills, the final activity -- posing for a group photo with the Santa Barbara County Fire Department -- was a lot less taxing.

Contact [email protected] to learn when the next staff CERT course is offered.

About UC Santa Barbara

The University of California, Santa Barbara is a leading research institution that also provides a comprehensive liberal arts learning experience. Our academic community of faculty, students, and staff is characterized by a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration that is responsive to the needs of our multicultural and global society. All of this takes place within a living and learning environment like no other, as we draw inspiration from the beauty and resources of our extraordinary location at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.