Mayor Lurie participates in community emergency response training, encourages San Franciscans to “get prepared, get involved”

SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor Daniel Lurie, San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) Chief Dean Crispen, and Department of Emergency Management (DEM) Executive Director Mary Ellen Carroll today joined a training through the SFFD’s Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT), a free community-based program that teaches the basics of personal preparedness and prevention.

NERT is the only organization in San Francisco offering free, hands-on emergency preparedness and response training specifically designed for anyone who lives or works in the city. Before an emergency, NERT is an organizing framework for teams in neighborhoods throughout San Francisco to plan for surviving an emergency with their neighbors in an austere environment. After a disaster, NERT teams set up a command post and initiate communications with the SFFD in coordination with the battalion activation. They survey their neighborhoods and provide critical information to the SFFD. They may also conduct lifesaving activities using practical skills in light search, rescue, and medical triage or treatment.

Last week, Mayor Lurie participated in a multiagency emergency preparedness exercise, demonstrating San Francisco’s innovative firefighting technology, including the city’s high-pressure fire hydrant system and St. Francis Fireboat.

“Responding to an emergency requires all of us, and I appreciate the volunteers who are stepping up through NERT to help keep all of us safe,” said Mayor Lurie. “We are constantly coordinating across city departments to be ready for anything, but we must also make sure San Franciscans have the tools they need to keep themselves and their communities safe. And I am inspired to see neighbors coming together, learning lifesaving skills, and strengthening our city’s resilience.”

“The San Francisco Fire Department prides itself on resiliency and preparedness. Our biggest asset is the community,” said SFFD Chief Dean Crispen. “Please consider joining the San Francisco NERT Program to be better prepared to help yourself, your neighborhood, and your community. Together, we are a safer and more resilient SF.”

“Preparedness is an integral part in creating a more resilient city,” said DEM Executive Director Mary Ellen Carroll. “With ever-increasing extreme weather events and other threats, we will look to the whole community in response and recovery. DEM is grateful to all our SF NERT volunteers who have gone above and beyond in their training and preparedness to make sure our community is ready for what comes.”