City of Santa Barbara Celebrates Teen CERT Graduation
The City of Santa Barbara Fire Department is proud to announce the graduation of the latest class of Teen Community Emergency Response Team (Teen CERT) students. These 21 dedicated young individuals 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 on July 17th, 2025, at Santa Barbara City Fire Station 1, where we 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.”
One of this year’s graduating students, MJ Aguilar, shared, “I love coming back to Teen CERT every summer. 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 City of 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 information about CERT and how to get involved, please visit City of Santa Barbara Office of Emergency Services.