Frequently Asked Questions

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program is an all-risk, all-hazard training. This valuable course is designed to help you protect yourself, your family, your neighbors and your neighborhood in an emergency situation.

CERT is a positive and realistic approach to emergency and disaster situations where citizens may initially be on their own and their actions can make a difference. While people will respond to others in need without the training, one goal of the CERT program is to help them do so effectively and efficiently without placing themselves in unnecessary danger.

Well, it’s like paying for car insurance. You might never need either; you’d hope not to. But if the occasion arises, having the CERT Basic Training, just like having car insurance, means you’re as ready as you can be to help yourself, your family and your neighborhood. You know more than the average citizen does and are more prepared and equipped when disaster strikes the City. Plus, the CERT Basic Training Course is FREE!

Preference is given to Malibu residents residents; however, CERT programs are offered in many other areas of the County, especially near Malibu. View the complete list at the following LA County Fire Department website: https://lacountyfire.galaxydigital.com/agency/

All classes are offered in-person. If a CERT participant misses a class in Malibu, alternatives may be offered by attending other CERT classes in nearby areas, though, since Malibu is such a unique area, the classes may not be the same experience.

The participant should notify the CERT Instructor or the City's Public Safety Department at PublicSafety@malibucity.org prior to attending other classes in nearby jurisdictions.

Participants who complete the series of classes of the CERT Basic Training will receive a Certificate of Completion and a CERT basic starter kit upon completing the Final Drill. If there are any incorrectness or you have not received your Certificate of Completion, please contact the City's Public Safety Department at PublicSafety@malibucity.org with your name and class completion date.

Completing the CERT program will provide you with situational awareness of what to do in a local emergency. Graduating from CERT Basic Training does not make you an official Member of Malibu CERT.

If you wish to further your training and potentially be utilized during a disaster within the City of Malibu, graduates have the opportunity to join Malibu CERT as a Member. To find out more information, please visit www.MalibuCity.org/CERT or email PublicSafety@malibucity.org.

Refresher courses may be offered at a later date. These classes are dependent on participant interest and may not always be offered.

Malibu CERT is comprised of dedicated local volunteers who have not only graduated from a CERT Basic Training Course, but also have completed the additional team requirements, including additional training from FEMA and various agencies, shown dedication and commitment to the Team by meeting or exceeding the hour requirement for the team, and has registered with the City as a Volunteer Disaster Service Worker (DSW).

After passing all qualifications, the individual is will undergo a background check, fingerprinting, an administered the Oath of a Disaster Service Worker (DSW). Once completed, the individual is allowed to wear the Malibu CERT Uniform and a City-issued ID Name Badge, and can participate in CERT Deployments. CERT members will not self-dispatch to any incident.

To learn more on how to join, please visit www.MalibuCity.org/CERT, or contact the Public Safety Department at PublicSafety@malibucity.org.