A controversy that recently emerged over the jurisdiction of San Diego’s CERT program appears to have been peacefully resolved.
The Community Emergency Response Team program was created by the City of San Diego’s Fire-Rescue Department after the Cedar fire of 2003.
CERT teams are extensively trained by firefighters, paramedics and lifeguards to function as first responders in an emergency situation where authorities might not arrive for hours or days.
About 800 volunteers currently serve in the program on 19 teams in communities representing all eight City Council districts, according to records.
CERT volunteers recently protested fiercely in public opposition to a reorganization proposal that would have transferred CERT from the SDFD to the city’s Office of Homeland Security.
With calls, letters and a petition drive to appeal to councilmembers and the mayor, CERT supporters made known their beliefs that the move would have been a mistake.
Many said they believed CERT should remain a local program instead of federal, thinking that adding another layer of bureaucracy might cost lives in emergency situations. Others said they worried about retaining local control and funding.
Fire department spokesman Maurice Luque said, “We feel [the move] would have been just an organizational shift. It wouldn’t have impacted the community or resulted in budget cuts.”
Luque pointed out that the program would have been shifted to the city’s Office of Homeland Security, preserving local control.
It’s not clear why the move was proposed in the first place. CERT volunteers said It was originally slated for discussion during the City Council’s budget considerations on June 11.
Mayor Jerry Sanders’ decision to keep the program with the fire department was announced Saturday, June 9.
George Biagi, a spokesman for Sanders’ office, said the phone calls, letters and petition had helped to change the mayor’s mind. “That’s the way a democracy works,” added Biagi.
Kevin Faulconer, District 2 council member, said, “A lot of the councilmembers, including me, believe CERT is a great program that’s working fine where it is.”
Stating that he’s pleased the situation will remain status quo, Faulconer added, “I am very glad that CERT will be staying with the fire department. The program consists of all volunteers who love what they do.”