Emergency Preparedness and Operations

Programs

CERT

The West Orange County Community Emergency Response Team or CERT Program is comprised of those who live and/or work in Buena Park, Cypress, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Rossmoor, Seal Beach, Westminster and their attached communities.

The West County CERT Program’s primary purpose is to educate people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact them at home, at work, or at play. The initial CERT training covers basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. With this training, CERT members can assist themselves and their families, plus others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help.

CERT members give critical support to first responders, provide immediate assistance to affected individuals and organize volunteers at a disaster site. CERT members can also help with non-emergency projects that improve the safety of their community.

West Orange County CERT is about readiness, people helping people, rescuer safety, and doing the greatest good for the greatest number. CERT is a positive and realistic approach to emergency and disaster situations where people will be initially on their own and their actions can make a difference.

Through CERT Academy training, neighbors can manage utilities and put out small fires; treat the three killers by opening airways, controlling bleeding, and help to treat shock; provide basic medical aid; search for and rescue victims safely; and organize themselves and spontaneous volunteers to be effective.

If you are a resident or work in the Western Orange County communities of Buena Park, Cypress, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Rossmoor, Seal Beach, or Westminster then you have come to the right place to discover more about the CERT Program and how it can help you and your family in a disaster or wide spread emergency situation.

To learn more about the West County CERT team or for additional information visit the West County CERT website.

RACES

RACES stands for "Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service," a protocol created by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC Part 97, Section 407). Many government agencies across the country train their Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS) volunteers using the RACES protocol. The volunteers serve their respective jurisdictions pursuant to guidelines and mandates established by local emergency management officials.

RACES volunteer operators are:

Licensed Radio Amateurs
Certified by a civil defense agency
Able to communicate on Amateur Radio frequencies during drills, exercises and emergencies
Activated by local, county and state jurisdictions and are the only Amateur Radio operators authorized to transmit during declared emergencies when the President of the United States specifically invokes the War Powers Act.

Neighbor 4 Neighbor

Neighbor 4 Neighbor is a program designed to inform community members on how they can prepare for an emergency and what resources they can utilize if emergency services aren't readily available.

Neighbor 4 Neighbor events will be announced via social media and on the police department website.

Communication

Alert OC

Department social media pages are not the same as or a replacement for, Alert OC, the emergency mass notification system utilized by the City of Los Alamitos. Please visit the Alert OC website for more information and be sure to sign-up for Alert OC notifications while you're there.

Nixle

Residents can sign up to receive emergency mobile alerts and relevant community information from the City of Los Alamitos by texting LOSALAMITOS to 888-777, or sign up online via the Los Alamitos Nixle website.