Summer Recap 2026

CERT First Aid/CPR/AED Refresher Course

Diana Shu, Irma Hong and Ashley Hong led this summer's First Aid/CPR/AED refresher course. Why take a refresher course if you're already trained? As smart as we are, the old adage still holds true: practice makes perfect. And thankfully, most of us rarely — if ever — need to perform CPR or use an AED in real life, which makes it easy for those skills to get rusty. This refresher class was a simple, low-pressure way to reinforce what we'd already learned, and for some participants, it was their first time working hands-on with an AED — informative for everyone involved. We are looking into forming a team of Red Cross CPR/AED instructors. Would you like to “level up” and become an instructor? Let us know! Email highlandscert.training@gmail.com.

San Mateo County 22nd Annual Disaster Preparedness Day

Highlands CERT joined five other county CERT teams as a participant exhibitor at this event. Our team consisted of Florence Chang, Alisha Jarnigan, Betty Jue, Richard and Diana Shu.

There was something for everyone — fire truck and ambulance tours, a downed-power-line demo, and an eye-opening USGS fault-line map. Over 50 organizations exhibited in the Cypress Hall, including radio experts, CHP officers, tree-care companies, and battery suppliers.

Continuing our focus on Access and Functional Needs, our table addressed Limited English Proficiency (LEP) — 45.8% of San Mateo County speaks a language other than English at home. We provided materials in five languages but ran out in some — a challenge for next year.

The team's day was scheduled to allow them to spend some time away from the Highlands CERT table to participate in other activities. Diana said that she came away with a better sense of how other county CERT programs operate. Diana, Florence and Alisha had the opportunity to participate in a triage simulation exercise run by the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC). Volunteers from event attendees were recruited to act as “injured disaster victims” and placed in an area of simulated rubble. CERT volunteers searched the simulated rubble field for “victims” and went through the triage process to assess their “injuries.” CERT volunteers escorted the “victims” that had more serious injuries to the nearby MRC tent where MRC members with professional medical skills simulated further treatment of the victims. Both our CERT team and the MRC team felt that the joint exercise was useful and instructive. Both sides are already looking forward to planning an expanded joint exercise for 2027.

Financial First Aid Seminar

After attending the Financial First Aid class at last year's San Mateo County Disaster Preparedness Day, Betty Jue prepared her own family's Financial GO! Bag. Her advice is: “This can seem like a daunting job. Don't let it intimidate you. Start early and do a little bit at a time.”

After working on her family's Financial GO! Bag for the better part of a year, Betty shared with us what she learned about Financial First Aid — the often-overlooked flip side of earthquake and wildfire preparedness. A major disaster can leave banks closed, ATMs down, and insurers slow to pay, so her presentation focused on how to access cash when payment systems are unavailable, protect your records and accounts from identity theft, document your property for insurance claims, and keep essential bills paid while waiting on assistance. Attendees left with the building blocks of a simple financial recovery plan and a “Financial Go-Bag” of the records they'd need to rebuild.