If a big disaster strikes and 911 can’t help, a neighbor could save your life

This story was updated to include information about becoming a CERT volunteer.

Imagine the scenario: A powerful earthquake on the Hayward Fault causes serious damage in your neighborhood.

Electric wires could be down. Gas lines could be ruptured, sparking fires. Homes, many of which in Richmond were built before modern day building safety codes, might be teetering on the verge of collapse. Injured people are wandering the streets, unsure of what to do.

You try to dial 911 but you don’t have cell phone service. And even if your landline works, dispatchers are overwhelmed and say help will take hours to arrive.

Would you know what to do next?

If you’re lucky, one of your neighbors is a member of a Richmond Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), a federal program that is administered locally. In Richmond, the Richmond Fire Department’s Office of Emergency Services oversees the city’s citizen teams.

There are at least eight of these neighborhood squads of volunteers in Richmond. Each team consists of a minimum of 15 trained members. One of the most active is the Point Richmond CERT, which meets the first Wednesday of every month and posts videos of what to do in specific emergencies.

Each CERT member undergoes a nine-week training session, held every spring by the Richmond Fire Department. The courses cover everything from disaster preparedness to fire safety to medical operations to light search and rescue missions.

CERT members also attend an annual emergency drill training session.

Some CERT members are also licensed ham radio operators. Ham radio, originally known as amateur radio, was introduced in 1894 by Guglielmo Marconi, the Italian who invented the telegraph. Its nickname was a sort of criticism at the time because the wireless technology was considered “ham fisted.” The system is still popular with more than 750,000 licensed operators in the United States, and there’s an active group launched in 2018 that has members in the Marina Bay and East Richmond Heights neighborhoods, the West Contra Costa Emergency Radio Group, which holds regular drills.

Ham radio is considered a vital tool for CERT members. 

“A disaster will likely disrupt normal activities. Police, fire, 911 and ambulances will be quickly overwhelmed and may not be able to respond for up to 72 hours. Citizens need to be able to take care of themselves until the professional emergency responders arrive,” the Richmond CERT website states.

Richard Diaz, manager of the city’s Office of Emergency Services, is the point person for the CERT teams.

He said the teams are designed to supplement police, fire and medical personnel, but in some instances, they might have to take on additional responsibilities if first responders are delayed during a disaster.

Those duties could include checking a building for structural damage, giving first aid to an injured person, dealing with hazardous materials or simply talking to someone who is distressed.

“We want to make sure there are people out in the community who are trained,” said Diaz. “We put a lot of effort into making sure people know what they need to know.”

Latest CERT trainees completed emergency drill course at firefighter training center

On May 17, the latest trainees from the CERT nine-week training course graduated after completing an emergency drill session at the Fire Department’s training center on Cutting Boulevard.

One of the 37 grads was Dan Genova, an immigrant from the Philippines who has lived in Richmond since 2008.

Genova, who works in social services for Alameda County, said he has always been interested in emergency preparedness. He and his wife keep a stash of emergency supplies such as water, food and batteries. He is also a ham radio operator.

“You never know. It helps to be prepared,” he said. “If cell phones and computers don’t work, then you have to have a fall back.”

Genova is more than just a volunteer. He is also taking over as head of his local North & East CERT team. That group has been mostly inactive since 2021 as it searched for a new leader.

Genova said the biggest threat to Richmond neighborhoods in general is an earthquake. However, he noted that some neighborhoods have high fire risks while areas close to the shoreline face the danger of a tsunami.

Diaz said the local CERT teams tested their tsunami preparedness when a tsunami warning was issued last December after a strong earthquake struck off the coast of Humboldt County.

Some Richmond CERT members happened to be conducting a monthly emergency radio communications drill when the warning was issued. They immediately began communicating with the city’s Office of Emergency Services and started coordinating how to respond.

Although no tidal wave ever materialized along the Richmond shoreline, it served as a reminder of the importance of CERT teams.

“You have to know how to respond locally in situations such as these,” Diaz said.