Post #984442

2026-04-07 00:33 UTC

Inspired by @tinker talking about how they’ve thrown themselves into solar punk to build community and deal with… uh, *gestures widely* I want to talk about something I chose to do. I’m going to talk about one in particular, as the other (getting involved in my local Democrat party org) is way less interesting. I’m working towards becoming an emergency management volunteer, specifically under the Community Emergency Response Team umbrella. This is a program sponsored by FEMA but run by your local government. In my case my involvement is with the city. They put on basic training twice a year and then if you take some FEMA administered training for ICS-200 and ICS-700 you can become a registered, official volunteer who is put on their call list plus get more access to training. The basic training the city provided was 8 sessions across 4 weeks for about 2.5-ish hours a night. We even got to conclude our training with some small simulated exercises based on what we learned. I’ve chosen to do this because in my area we have earthquakes and floods, and I want to be able to help my neighbors and my city should the need ever arise. It’s an outlet for me. Something concrete I am doing to give back and prepare to give back even more in the worst case. Please, if you have the capacity/ability/whatever look for and find your version of this. There’s many, many options out there. And the only way we’re getting through anything is together.

Replies (4)

@tinker@infosec.exchange 2026-04-07 11:11

@derekheld This is amazing.

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@whoosh@neuromatch.social 2026-04-07 11:51

@derekheld Thank you, kind soul.

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@culper@infosec.exchange 2026-04-07 14:41

@derekheld Good on you for taking the CERT class and training. I took a CERT class in 2009 (yes I am getting old) I learned some very useful hands-on skills, some of which I still use. One of the most valuable items I learned is how the local, state, and federal agencies worked. I think is well worth the time and effort. The final simulated exercises was fun. To those that are interested I highly recommend it. It teaches some life saving skill and an understanding of how emergency services work. You may have to search a few areas to find a class. Some cities and counties offer the classes and some don't. In order to find my class I emailed every city and county emergency management office I could find around me. Some places offer the class and love to teach it, but wait for people to show interest

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@boxofdelights@wandering.shop 2026-04-08 01:53

@derekheld @tinker I signed up for CERT this spring too! I wish my city followed your schedule, though. Ours is one weekend, 5-9 Friday, 9-5 Saturday and Sunday. I just... don't do eight-hour days anymore. But I worry a lot about wildfire, so I will grit my teeth and get through the training.

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