List of Existing Neighborhood CERTs

Mountain View encourages organized neighborhood CERTs. These are composed of a core group of CERT trained individuals and neighborhood volunteers. The groups provide an on-going source of disaster preparedness information to their neighborhood and conduct periodic drills to practice their CERT skills.

In addition to the links on this page, you may contact the Office of Emergency Services for more information at 650-903-6825.

Existing CERT Groups

Map of Current CERT Neighborhood Groups

For each group's contact information, please see the list of existing neighborhood CERTs.

Forming a New Neighborhood CERT

Graduates of Mountain View’s Community Emergency Response Team class are encouraged to contact existing Neighborhood CERT Neighborhood Groups and develop a relationship with established community volunteers. Doing so will help new CERT Academy graduates and their neighbors prepare for emergencies and provide assistance during and after a disaster. The established City of Mountain View Neighborhood CERT program provides the infrastructure for a small number of participating residents to quickly tie into a community feeling that supports a much larger neighborhood. The long-term result is a safer and supportive neighborhood, with neighbors helping neighbors and a community residents are proud to call home.

Neighborhood CERTs have existed for over 20 years. Some started as small groups on one block or one building complex or even within an established Neighborhood Association. In 2006, the first communications between Neighborhood CERTs and the Mountain View Emergency Operating Center were conducted by Amateur Radio (Hams).

One of the most critical functions of a Neighborhood CERT is to ’size up’ their neighborhood after a disaster. Doing so will identify incidents and prioritize a response that does the most good for the most people in the shortest amount of time. Then by communicating their situation to the EOC, the City can direct available resources where they are most needed.

By 2008 there were eight Neighborhood CERTs and a Communication Plan had been developed assigning each neighborhood a Family Radio Service channel. The FRS channel is used to collect assessment information at a local Command Post. This action formalized the plan to communicate from the Neighborhood CERT Command Posts to the EOC via Hams.

By 2014 there were 16 Neighborhood CERTs with more being proposed. It became apparent that the combined FRS and Ham frequencies and message traffic could not support a continuing expansion in the number of Neighborhood CERTs. As a result, smaller areas expanded over time to provide more coverage across residential areas. This is ongoing as indicated by the boundary lines around older, smaller Neighborhood CERTs in the map above.

City of Mountain View Neighborhood CERT activities are coordinated through the Office of Emergency Services with the input of a CERT Steering Committee made up of representatives of the Neighborhood CERT Groups. The CERT program sponsors CERT Academies, CERT Refresher Trainings, and City-Wide exercises to practice and maintain CERT skills. When someone wants to form a new Neighborhood CERT we ask that they work within an existing boundary and participate in the CERT Steering Committee functions.

If you have additional questions please contact OES Coordinator Bob Maitland at (650) 903-6825.

Neighborhood CERT Communication

One of the most important things a Neighborhood CERT can do during a major disaster is to assess their situation and communicate their neighborhood’s condition and needs to the City when 911 and other telephone services are not available. This is done through a local Command Post in each Neighborhood CERT.

The Federal Emergency Management Administration’s CERT training uses standardized terminology when assessing incidents to describe physical damage to property and injuries to people. Therefore, all CERTs are asked to gather their neighborhood’s information on the Damage Assessment Form. Then use the MTV ICS 213 Summary Message Form to communicate your assessment information to the EOC. Exceptional major incidents may be reported on an ICS 213 General Message Form.

To manage communication between Neighborhood CERTs and the Mountain View EOC the City has developed a Communications Plan which includes FRS/GMRS frequencies for communications within CERTs and Ham frequencies to communicate with the EOC when normal telephone and cell phone communication is not available.

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