Trinidad CERT reports training, equipment and county ties; asks for integration into city emergency plan

At the Jan. 13 meeting co‑leaders Larry Goldberg and Jeff Austin presented the Trinidad Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) annual update, outlining training, equipment and community outreach over the past year.

Goldberg said the team completed basic CERT training in November 2023 and now has about 20–23 members registered with roughly 15 active volunteers. The team acquired a 23‑foot emergency trailer (purchased through grant funding and held as a city asset) outfitted with generators, lights, radios, MREs and medical/shelter supplies to serve as a mobile command station in an emergency.

Co‑leader Jeff Austin described a realistic moulage disaster simulation the team ran with volunteers and visiting CERT groups; the exercise tested triage, extrication and field treatment. The team also deployed during a July tsunami advisory, operated checkpoints and coordinated with the Trinidad Rancheria. Goldberg said the team is working on improved radio communications (a repeater at the fire station) and expanding liaison with Cal Fire and other first responders.

CERT leaders asked the council to formally integrate CERT into the city’s emergency plan with standard operating procedures for different incident types—evacuation, shelter‑in‑place and school or crowd‑control scenarios—so volunteers can be deployed with clear authority and expectations.

Council members praised the volunteers’ work and asked staff to coordinate incorporation of CERT roles into the city’s emergency operations plan. No formal action was taken; council asked staff to consider CERT needs during budget discussions and emergency‑plan updates.