Community Preparedness
Citizen Corps
California’s Citizen Corps programs unite Californians through volunteering and strengthen our state's ability to manage disasters and emergencies of all kinds through building stronger, safer and better prepared neighborhoods and communities.
CaliforniaVolunteers is the lead oversight agency for the California Citizen Corps Program, which was created post 9/11 to coordinate in-state volunteer activities to make our communities safer, stronger and better prepared to respond to any emergency.
The California Citizen Corps Program includes Citizen Corps Councils, Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT), Medical Reserve Corps, Neighborhood Watch, Volunteers in Police Service and Fire Corps.
If you operate a Citizen Corps program in California or are interested in launching one in your community, please click here.
To learn about Citizen Corps training and events, please click here.
Volunteering During Disasters
By executive order S-04-06, Governor Schwarzenegger charged CaliforniaVolunteers with ensuring the coordination of volunteer activities related to disaster response and recovery, including necessary training, equipment, and transportation provisions.
In partnership with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security, California Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster and other state and local organizations, CaliforniaVolunteers works to strengthen the state’s readiness for and ability to respond to large-scale disasters.
Disaster Preparedness
“In California, WE Prepare for disasters by having a plan and being ready to take care of ourselves, our families and our communities. I urge all Californians to get ready.”
--California First Lady Maria Shriver
When a disaster strikes…
Will you and your family be ready? Do you know what to do? Do you have a plan?
Customize your family disaster plan and personalize your children’s book today!
Golden Guardian 2008
CaliforniaVolunteers will participate in the nation’s largest state sponsored emergency exercise on November 13-18.
Golden Guardian 2008 will test California’s capability to respond and recover during a major catastrophic earthquake. The scale exercise scenario focuses on a simulated, catastrophic 7.8 magnitude earthquake along the southern portion of the San Andreas Fault.