Our Mission

Topanga CERT helps build a safer, more prepared, and more connected community.

Our mission is to strengthen community readiness and emergency preparedness in the unincorporated community of Topanga California.  We serve our community through emergency preparedness education, volunteer training, and local support capacity.  CERT, or Community Emergency Response Team, is a nationally recognized model that helps train volunteers in core emergency preparedness and basic disaster response skills. CERT programs are designed to help communities become more resilient and better able to support one another during emergencies.

What Topanga CERT does locally

Topanga CERT focuses on practical local readiness. That can include:

• volunteer training and skill-building

• preparedness education for residents

• drills and exercises

• communications and coordination support

• community resource development

• support for emergency supply planning and cache readiness

Why Topanga is unique

Living in Southern California comes with a high risk of natural disasters like Earthquakes, wildfires and more. Topanga’s geography and wildfire risk make preparedness especially important. Road access, terrain, utility disruptions, and fast-changing fire conditions can all increase the need for local organization and readiness.  During a widespread regional disaster emergency responders may not be able to reach our area for an extended period of time. These are some of the reasons why community-based training and planning are especially important here in Topanga Canyon.