Training program seeks to shrink number of ‘spontaneous volunteers’ during wildfires, disasters

When the CZU Lightning Complex fire devastated Santa Cruz County last summer, officials were faced with an odd predicament — what was to be done about the well-meaning but untrained “spontaneous volunteers” who put themselves and others in danger while attempting to save property?

It’s a controversial issue.

Lookout checks in on the recovery effort

In a multi-part series, we talk to the folks who were hit hardest by nature’s wrath last August.

• ‘Hero of the neighborhood’: How a Bonny Doon neighbor’s resolve helped save a Santa Cruz musical treasure
• A Big Basin rebirth: California’s oldest state park won’t be the same, but nature is assuring it will be back
• From mountain time to island time: Boulder Creek couple’s home spared but they started over elsewhere anyway
• ‘The sound of explosions’: One year after CZU, the echoes of loss reverberate for the many still recovering
• Man on a mission: How Gordon Rudy helped his Boulder Creek neighborhood weather the CZU flames

All our special CZU coverage

Without the proper disaster response training, officials say volunteer disaster responders can potentially risk their own lives, the lives of others and delay or divert assistance from those already in urgent need. But the SLV Civilian Fire Responders — which was criticized by local fire officials for its members’ untrained fire mitigation efforts during last year’s blaze — claimed they needed to defend their properties as the state’s fire agency struggled with low staffing while faced with a historically devastating fire season.

In an attempt to reach a middle ground, the Santa Cruz County Community Emergency Response (CERT) team, conducts a free online 20-hour training course for novices to get up to speed with safe mitigation practices. The group is made up of volunteers certified in response methods by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Originally, firefighters conducted the CERT training, but with sluggish funding the training stopped. In 2015, the CERT Auxiliary was formed as a nonprofit organization designed to mirror fire support agencies, with each branch supporting its local fire department.

Officials hope the program, which has branches all over the county, will help reduce the number of well-meaning but untrained volunteers. In the wake of the CZU fire, Mary Edmund, who heads CERT’s Santa Cruz Auxiliary says she has seen a surge of interest. The more people who complete the training, she said, the better it is for the community.

The Santa Cruz Auxiliary has more than 1,500 members, though Edmunds noted the number of active volunteers is smaller.

CERT’s mission, Edmund says, is “to provide surveillance info for first responders who get overwhelmed,” while battling increasingly large and uncontrollable fires.

The CERT training, which is open to people of any age and physical ability, consists of six modules covering topics such as fire safety, disaster medical operations, search and rescue, and more. Volunteers are needed for many different purposes including administrative tasks and neighborhood mapping and everyone who completes the training receives a pack of personal protective equipment and supplies: a backpack, vest, first aid supplies and more.

In Boulder Creek, William Monroe leads CERT’s efforts as team leader and acting logistics & operations chief.

At pre-pandemic Boulder Creek meetings, “we had advanced training in topics like PG&E hazards, CHP Traffic Control, Stop the Bleed, CPR/AED, Red Cross Shelter set up,” he said. “We also had various drills for earthquakes, mass casualty or search and rescue. We helped Cal Fire and the Sheriff with road closure control for both Bear Fires.”

But much like all other aspects of life since March 2020, the course has had to be adjusted to fit COVID safety restrictions, with the group indefinitely suspending the in-person components of the program.

But despite the pandemic, Monroe and his Boulder Creek crew have been busy.

“We helped with traffic control for Sergeant Gutzwiler’s memorial, gave out water after the SLV water lines were destroyed, staffed phones and Cal Fire in Felton, surveyed over a thousand people with the County Sheriff for debris flow evacuation issues, helped staff fire evacuation centers in Santa Cruz, TEP Debris Flow Evac in SLV, and help with vaccine clinics in Santa Cruz,” he listed.

However, not all volunteers are required to participate in all activities, he said. “You can volunteer for as little or as much as you have time for and back off when you don’t.”

To that end, CERT offers three tiers of training, depending on people’s abilities and interests:

• Training for people to learn how to keep themselves and their families safe
• Training for those who want to stay and help within their neighborhood
• For people who are willing to help outside their own neighborhood

A fourth tier is also available for those who want to become members of CERT leadership. Seacliff resident Eileen O’Connor, who has taken on a leadership role, says she started with the basics: survival.

“If you don’t survive, the rest doesn’t matter,” she said. “First, are you okay, is your family safe? Then you can decide if you’re ready to move outside and work as part of a team at that point.”

Be prepared

Are you ready for a wildfire?

Don’t get caught off guard. Use Lookout’s Wildfire Resource Center to get you and your family ready for the high-risk summer months as well as everything you need in the event of a fire.

• Part 1: Everything you need to get ready for wildfire season
• Part 2: What to do during the dry fire season, when risk is high
• Part 3: What to do during a wildfire

Read more of Lookout’s wildfire and drought coverage here