September is National Preparedness Month, when governments urge the public to take proactive steps to prepare for emergencies. Amid warnings of an intense winter storm season ahead, the San Bernardino County Office of Emergency Services is encouraging residents to “prepare where you live” by understanding the risks that may impact different communities.
For those who call San Bernardino County’s mountain communities home, officials said preparedness means being ready for conditions that can change quickly. Emergencies such as wildfires, winter storms, landslides, power outages and road closures disrupt daily life, limit travel and at times require residents to evacuate with minimal notice.
According to the county, a few ways to prepare for mountain emergencies are:
- “Know multiple evacuation routes. Your usual route may be unavailable because of fire, snow, flooding or road closures. Talk with your household about where you’ll meet up.
- “Keep your vehicle ready. Maintain at least a half tank of gas and keep water, food, blankets, a flashlight and other emergency supplies in your car.
- “Prepare to be self-sufficient. Keep enough food, water, medications and other essentials on hand for several days.
- “Have a go-bag ready. Keep medications, important documents and other essentials organized in case you need to leave quickly.
- “Plan for your whole household. Consider the needs of children, older adults, pets and anyone who may need additional assistance.
- “Stay informed. Check weather and road conditions and have multiple ways to receive emergency information.”
Residents also can download the Ready SB County app and sign up for TENS, the county’s emergency notification system, to receive important information prior to and during an emergency.
“Preparing now can make a big difference when conditions change,” officials said. “Ready Together. Prepare Where You Live.”
Go to bit.ly/readytogethersb for more information about National Preparedness Month.
CERT volunteers strengthen disaster prep countywide
In a municipality as large and diverse as San Bernardino County — square miles total more than 20,000 — residents play a key role when emergencies affect their neighborhoods. Through the Community Emergency Response Team, or CERT, the county Office of Emergency Services trains residents to care for themselves, their families and their neighbors while providing additional community support when professional responders must focus on dealing with the most critical needs and dangerous situations, officials said.
CERT volunteers also help the Office of Emergency Services understand conditions on the ground by identifying concerns and sharing information from the communities they know best.
Such preparation starts with a 21-hour CERT course that teaches “practical, hands-on disaster response skills,” according to the county. Participants gain knowledge in fire safety, light search and rescue work, medical operations during disasters and team organization. Course participants also learn what to do before, during and after an emergency.
Officials said to join the team, no previous emergency response experience is required. The training begins with the basics and aims “to help residents build the knowledge and confidence to respond safely and effectively while working within the scope of their training.”
During an emergency, CERT volunteers may support assistance centers and shelters, help with logistics and resource distribution, do damage assessments, help with traffic control, share community information and support outreach and recovery efforts. Officials said assignments depend on the incident and where help is needed most.
Volunteers work as part of an organized response under the direction of Emergency Services officials, first responders or the agency coordinating their assignment. While not a replacement for professional public safety personnel, CERT volunteers add capacity and help extend the reach of emergency response operations, officials said.
“Our CERT volunteers are an extension of the communities they serve,” Emergency Services Manager Guadalupe Felix said in a statement. Their local knowledge, willingness to help and commitment to preparedness make them an important part of how we support communities across San Bernardino County.”
During the December 2025 storms, CERT teams from Wrightwood, Phelan, Piñon Hills and Lytle Creek were among the first volunteers to mobilize, providing the Office of Emergency Services with information about storm conditions and impacts while helping residents access water, supplies and information at emergency assistance locations, according to the county. When the rain ceased, volunteers did initial damage assessments throughout impacted communities, helping the Office of Emergency Services and first responders better understand where damage occurred and the level of assistance that residents needed.
CERT involvement goes further than mobilizing during an emergency.
“Volunteers can remain involved through community education, preparedness outreach, events, additional training and exercises that keep their skills current and strengthen connections with Emergency Services and their communities,” according to the county. “The program gives residents a way to build confidence, teamwork and leadership skills while taking an active role in making San Bernardino County more prepared and resilient.”
To learn more about CERT and to find upcoming training sessions, go to oes.sbcounty.gov/cert.
Inside San Bernardino County Fire’s rapid extraction module support team
The San Bernardino County Fire Protection District has specialized resources designed to support firefighters working in some of the most difficult environments, including the Rapid Extraction Module Support team.
The REMS team deployed on multiple fire assignments throughout California and Oregon this summer. Its primary mission is to be ready to respond when a firefighter is injured or experiences a medical emergency in steep, remote or difficult-to-access terrain.
“REMS teams are specially trained and equipped to reach, stabilize and safely extract injured firefighters from areas that may be inaccessible to traditional emergency vehicles,” according to the county.
REMS fuses wilderness firefighting experience, advanced life support medical care and technical rescue capabilities, officials said. While assigned to an incident, team members do medical reconnaissance throughout the fire area to identify access points, scout potential exit routes and evaluate locations that require specialized rescue equipment. Team members also support medical care in the field and continually train to maintain their technical rescue skills.
During emergencies, REMS can deploy into remote terrain, locate and reach an injured firefighter, provide advanced medical care and get the injured person ready for extraction. The team also has the capability of establishing rope rescue systems and coordinating transportation by ambulance or helicopter.
In addition to specially trained personnel with wildland, paramedic and rope rescue expertise, the team also uses all-terrain rescue vehicles designed to operate in steep, dangerous terrain.
“Pre-positioning this specialized capability on wildland fires and other complex incidents helps reduce the time it takes to reach and extract an injured firefighter when every minute matters,” according to the county.
The San Bernardino County Fire Department participates in the state’s Master Mutual Aid System, which makes specialized personnel and equipment available to assist public safety agencies in the county, region and state when large, complex emergencies occur.
