Burlingame residents can practice responding to a simulated disaster at the city's 13th annual Disaster Response Drill on Saturday, Oct. 3.

The free outdoor exercise, organized by the Burlingame Neighborhood Network (BNN), runs from 9 to 10:30 a.m., according to Patch. Participants form neighborhood teams and practice helping one another after a simulated emergency, learning to relay requests for assistance using the Zello app, which lets a cell phone function like a two-way radio.

The City of Burlingame, the Central County Fire Department, the Burlingame Police Department and Burlingame's Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) are official sponsors. Local ham radio operators also support the exercise.

During the drill, neighbors checking for simulated incidents will use Zello to contact the Incident Commander and request help, according to BNN. Rik Kasuga, a BNN board member who leads drill communications and serves as the city's CERT Volunteer Program Coordinator, hosts monthly Zello workshops to help residents learn the app ahead of the event.

Families are welcome, and children 10 and older will be assigned active roles. No special skills are needed.

The drill is block-based. Neighborhoods across Burlingame stage their own simulated scenarios, with residents rotating through different team roles. All materials and training are provided at no cost.

Kaz Chiao, CERT Coordinator and Emergency Management Specialist for the Central County Fire Department, said in a BNN article on emergency preparedness that Central County Fire runs one of the largest CERT programs in San Mateo County and trained the most people in 2025. CERT training is free and open to anyone who lives, works or spends time in Burlingame, Hillsborough and Millbrae. The department offers adult training in the fall and winter, a teen boot camp in the summer and a course taught in Mandarin in the spring.

Residents who want to practice with Zello before the drill can join the BNN Zello Net, which meets on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month at 7:30 p.m.

To sign up as a leader or participant, visit burlingamenetwork.org/drill or email [email protected].