The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) will be holding its 30th Anniversary National Conference on Thursday at the Sheraton Universal Hotel, through Saturday, according to a news release from CaliforniaVolunteers officials.

The conference offers attendees more than 50 workshops, which will cover program development and management, safety and preparedness, using social media and technology, improving training methods and more.

Volunteers can register here to attend events scheduled for the three day conference from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

CaliforniaVolunteers, in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and NBCUniversal Studios Hollywood, will host CERT’s 30th anniversary conference.

A list of some of the VIP speakers include: Mark Ghilarducci, California Office of Emergency Services director; Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Jeff Gorell, Daryl Osby, Los Angeles County Fire chief; Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National; and more to be announced.

An awards ceremony will be held Thursday from 9-11:10 a.m. to recognize CERT programs, volunteers and partners that have contributed to the success of CERT.

The CERT Program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills.  

CERT members in California were most recently deployed to assist with disasters such as the Refugio Oil Spill in Santa Barbara, the Valley Fire in Lake County, the East Porterville Drought Outreach Efforts and more.

CERT program managers, instructors, and volunteers from more than 25 states and representatives from China, along with attendees from the nonprofit and private sectors, will present and attend numerous workshops.

The Sheraton Universal Hotel is located at 333 Universal Hollywood Dr., Universal City, CA 91608.

About CaliforniaVolunteers

CaliforniaVolunteers is the state office that manages programs and initiatives to increase the number of Californians involved with service and volunteering, including the state AmeriCorps program and the management of volunteers and monetary donations during times of disasters. For more information, click here. 

About CERT

Developed and implemented by the Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD) in 1985, the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates individuals about disaster preparedness and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization and disaster medical operations. 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.

Ed. Note: This article is a news release provided by CaliforniaVolunteers.