Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the NERT Program topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City urges wider NERT participation as free neighborhood disaster training expands
Summary
Fire Department and NERT coordinators updated the council on the Neighborhood Emergency Response Team program, reporting about 2,000 trainees a year, a state grant to credential 250 deployable volunteers, an October drill, and free training open to San Francisco residents and workers.
Captain Bridal Arteseros and Erica, the NERT program coordinator, described the Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT) as the city's primary hands-on volunteer disaster-training program. The program traces its origin to the Loma Prieta response and provides 18 to 20 hours of practical training in personal and neighborhood preparedness, basic search and rescue, and coordination with first responders.
"The training is free for anyone who lives or works here in San Francisco," Erica said, inviting participation and noting an October 20 drill. Presenters said the program currently trains just under 2,000 people per year and aims to expand that number; a state grant will allow credentialing of roughly 250 deployable, background-checked volunteers by April.
Volunteers who have taken NERT training described its practical value: lessons on neighborhood cooperation, communicating when phone systems fail, and triage priorities during a mass-casualty event. Program staff highlighted retention as a key challenge and asked council partners to invest in sustained volunteer engagement and cross-departmental coordination to keep trained volunteers active.
Council members also heard that NERT activities and the October drill will be listed in the disaster council's quarterly report. No formal membership or funding vote was taken at the meeting.
