Be prepared to help your neighbors

When disaster strikes, trained volunteers can make a big difference in helping communities respond. Two options to participate in these types of volunteer networks are:

The Citizen Corps: The organization brings together local government, business and community leaders to prepare for a disaster.

More information on local chapters can be found on Twitter @ citizen_ corps or online at https:// www. ready. gov/ citizencorps. Community Emergency Response Teams: CERT offers training for individuals to respond to fires, earthquakes or other disasters. More than 6,000 people participate in their communities. In San Francisco, the Fire Department organizes the free trainings for the city’s Neighborhood Emergency Response Team, or NERT.

For more information: www. ready. gov/ community emergencyresponseteam.

In San Francisco: http:// sf fire. org/ neighborhood emergencyresponseteam nert.

Connor Radnovich / The Chronicle 2016 A team of Neighborhood Emergency Response Team volunteers practices carrying a mannequin on a makeshift stretcher during a NERT citywide drill in 2016.