The Santa Barbara Fire Department has announced the graduation of the latest class of Teen Community Emergency Response Team (Teen CERT) students.

Local high school students wearing green and yellow high-visibility vests and green hard hats gather for a group photo.
Local high school students wearing green and yellow high-visibility vests and green hard hats gather for a group photo.

The 21 youths represented local high schools throughout Santa Barbara; they completed intensive, hands-on training in disaster preparedness and emergency response, becoming the newest generation of community response leaders.
 
The graduation ceremony took place July 17 at Santa Barbara City Fire Station 1, where the city honored the students’ achievements and highlighted the value of youth engagement in public safety.
 
Teen CERT is a nationally recognized program that teaches high school students how to safely respond to emergencies before professional responders arrive.

Over the course of the program, students learned essential skills such as fire safety, light search and rescue, first aid, disaster psychology, and team organization.

The training culminated in a full-scale disaster simulation, allowing students to apply what they learned in a real-world scenario.
 
“These students have demonstrated a deep sense of civic responsibility and an eagerness to serve their community,” said Liliana Encinas, Public Education & Outreach coordinator for the city of Santa Barbara.

“We are incredibly proud of their commitment to preparedness and their ability to rise as leaders in times of need,” she said.
 
“I love coming back to Teen CERT every summer,” said MJ Aguilar, one of this year’s graduating students. “Every time I learn something new, but what’s really special is that now I get to help teach it to others.

“It feels amazing to give back and support my peers as they go through the same training I once did.”
 
The Santa Barbara Fire Department Office of Emergency Services partnered with UC Santa Barbara, the American Red Cross, Foodbank of Santa Barbara, and United Way of Santa Barbara to provide the best experience to the participants.

Programs like Teen CERT empower our youth with life-saving knowledge and help create stronger, safer communities.
 
For more about CERT and how to get involved, visit city of Santa Barbara Office of Emergency Services.