LamorInda CERT
Lafayette, Moraga, and Orinda have long cooperated in advancing the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program in their collective areas. Lamorinda CERT is a long-standing working group with significant support from the Lafayette Police Department. The Moraga - Orinda Fire Corps CERT activity will continue this tradition of collaboration and mutual support.
CERT is a U.S. Government initiative under the Citizens Corps umbrella. Each of the communities has its own CERT council for local guidance. Lamorinda CERT brings together the leadership for all three communities, forms a larger pool of leadership and educators, and represents a large community of active members in the region. The leadership of the Moraga and Orinda Citizens Corps Council(s) are members of the leadership group of the Moraga - Orinda Fire Corps.
In the Lamorinda Communities, CERT operates on the theory that neighborhoods have the responsibility to do their own situation evaluation and take initial response actions immediately after (or during the early stages of) a major event: earthquake, wildland fire, flood, etc. Lamorinda CERT volunteers are trained in First Aid, Search and Rescue, and other key skills to provide neighborhoods with trained workers who can assess the situation, take appropriate local action, and communicate with the appropriate authorities.
In general, our CERTs are expected to self-deploy into their neighborhoods, to communicate among themselves and coordinate neighborhood actions, and to share situational awareness up the line to their community leaders and other public safety organizations.