Appendices
Appendix A: Citizen Corps Related Websites
Government
USA Freedom Corps www.usafreedomcorps.gov
Citizen Corps www.citizencorps.gov
Corporation for National and Community Service www.cns.gov
Federal Emergency Management Agency www.fema.gov
Department of Justice www.justice.gov
Department of Health and Human Services www.hhs.gov
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention www.cdc.gov
National Regulatory Commission www.nrc.gov
Environmental Protection Agency
Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office www.epa.gov/ceppo
National Weather Service www.nws.noaa.gov
U.S. Geological Survey www.usgs.gov
Office of Homeland Security www.whitehouse.gov/homeland
U.S. State and Local Gateway www.statelocal.gov
Emergency Managers
National Emergency Managers Associations www.nemaweb.org
International Association of Emergency Managers www.iaem.com
First Responders
Police
International Association of Chiefs of Police www.theiacp.org
National Sheriffs’ Association www.sheriffs.org
National Crime Prevention Council www.ncpc.org
Police Executive Research Forum www.policeforum.org
National Law Enforcement and
Corrections Technology Center www.nlectc.org
Fire
International Association of Fire Chiefs www.iafc.org
National Volunteer Fire Council www.nvfc.org
International Association of Fire Fighters www.iaff.org
National Fire Protection Association www.nfpa.org
Fire Department Safety Officers Association www.fdsoa.org
Emergency Medical Services
National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians www.naemt.org
National Association of EMS Educators www.naemse.org
International Rescue and Emergency Care Association www.ireca.org
Volunteer Organizations
National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster www.nvoad.org
American Red Cross www.redcross.org
Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center www.pointsoflight.org
National Network
United Way www.unitedway.org
Association for Volunteer Administration www.avaintl.org
and Volunteer Managers
Network For Good www.networkforgood.org
The Independent Sector www.independentsector.org
Volunteer Match www.volunteermatch.org
Business Associations
US Chamber of Commerce www.uschamber.com
Center for Corporate Citizenship www.uschamber.com/ccc
Appendix B: Potential Resources for Citizen Corps
These questions may help you identify resources to help you implement Citizen Corps.
General
Who could champion this initiative in your community? Who might champion it within segments
of your community? What is the best way to foster city/county/regional collaboration?
What organizations are already active in programs relevant to Citizen Corps objectives?
Which organizations usually sponsor or participate in various events that happen in your community (e.g., days of
service, parades, fairs, block parties, speakers, carnivals, etc.)?
What federal, state, or non-profit agencies serve your community? Could they provide staff, guidance, or training to
participate in Citizen Corps activities, such as United Way?
Does a regional planning council or a related organization include your community within its sphere of interest?
What current preparedness activities are in progress in your communities? How can you involve youth
organizations, such Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts or Explorers in Citizen Corps activities?
Volunteer
Do you have a volunteer center in your community where volunteer opportunities can be
registered and where you can receive assistance with recruitment efforts? What do you need to do to start one?
Is there a state or local VOAD that could provide training and
planning assistance for emergency preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery?
How can you involve organizations such as the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army that are already active in
disaster preparedness and response?
Are there courses and programs already being provided in your community by voluntary organizations?
What volunteer groups are already in active in the community that can be called upon to serve as Citizen Corps Council
partners, including community service groups, faith-based groups, and high school civic groups?
Is your community served by AmeriCorps volunteers? Does your community have an active Retired and Senior
Volunteer Program (RSVP)?
Are there volunteers already working and trained with organizations whose missions complement the goals of Citizen
Corps? How can you tap into organizations that already recruit, manage, and place volunteers?
What other organizations, such as universities, volunteer groups, civic organizations, business councils, mosques,
churches, or synagogues, can be tapped to sponsor volunteer participation or community events?
Schools and Universities
Are there colleges, universities, or vocational/technical schools in your community that
have sponsored or participated in local preparedness activities?
Do any of these institutions have curricula or degrees of study programs related to civic administration or emergency
management? Do they have an internship program that you could tap to support council efforts?
What other resources might your community’s colleges, universities or vocational/technical schools provide to your
Citizen Corps Councils?
Do your local high schools incorporate a community service element as part of their graduation requirement? How can you
involve high school clubs’ members or their leaders in Citizen Corps?
Business Sector
Which businesses in your community have corporate policies and value statements that
encourage worker participation in community life?
Are there businesses in your community that have a good fit with the goals of Citizen Corps, such as insurance companies,
security firms, training facilities, or manufacturers of preparedness kit items?
Media
Are there individuals or local celebrities in your community who would be willing to serve
as motivational speakers to encourage people to participate in Citizen Corps?
Which TV, radio, print, or other media outlets in your area are community-service oriented?
Which journalists or reporters in your community frequently cover human interest stories or stories on disaster and
emergency management?
Is there a local weather forecaster or news anchor who could be encouraged to serve as a Citizen Corps Council
member?
Appendix C: Opportunities for Citizen Corps Volunteers
The following are examples of how citizens can engage in volunteer opportunities that support the efforts of Citizen
Corps. This is by no means an exhaustive list but is intended to give you some ideas for getting your citizens involved.
Neighborhood Watch Program
Arrange for home security inspections by crime prevention officers to identify security
vulnerabilities
Upgrade locks, security hardware, and lighting
Train family members to keep valuables secure and to lock windows when leaving home
Train family members on identifying suspicious behaviors that could indicate terrorist activity
Ask neighbors to watch for suspicious activity when the house is vacant
Organize block WATCH groups to assist children, the elderly, and other especially vulnerable persons if they appear to be
distressed, in danger, or lost
Organize meetings with neighborhood groups and trained crime prevention officers to discuss security needs and crime
prevention strategies
Obtain and study informative materials from the National Sheriffs’ Association, the National Crime Prevention Council,
and local law enforcement agencies
Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT)
Staff a community education booth at community events
Identify safety needs and vulnerable individuals in your neighborhood
Distribute disaster education material in your neighborhood, in multiple languages if appropriate
Assist with writing and distributing a CERT newsletter
Help organize drills, activities, and supplemental training for your team
Participate in a speaker's bureau to schools and clubs
Assist emergency management officials and fire departments with installing smoke alarms and other special projects
Help with CERT administrative duties by maintaining databases, helping with class registration, and assisting with class
logistics
Organize recognition activities for volunteers
After CERT training, assist in evacuation, shelter management, donations management, care of responders at fires or
emergencies, mass care of victims from a large event, damage assessment, and perimeter control
Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS)
Take police reports
Make follow-up telephone calls to victims
Conduct fingerprinting
Engage in crowd/parking control at special events
Participate in search and rescue missions
Participate in mounted patrols in parking lots at high school football games
Operate metal detectors at a courthouse
Serve subpoenas
Medical Reserve Corps
During emergencies, members of the Medical Reserve Corps could:
- Assess and monitor the condition of patients
- Counsel patients
- Perform support and management activities (e.g., inventory and distribution of pharmaceuticals, supplies, and food, and
facilitating patient transfers)
- Administer and distribute medication
In non-emergency situations, local agencies could request volunteers to assist them in performing their routine duties.
Volunteers could:
- Distribute educational materials about the need for immunizations
- Give immunizations
- Assist with health education
- Provide additional support for community screening efforts (e.g., breast cancer, hypertension, diabetes, etc.)
Fire Department
Become a volunteer firefighter or emergency medical services technician
Offer to help the fire department in its fundraising efforts. Help with bingo or bake sales or other department
fundraising programs
Help the department with its financial matters if you have a business background or special skills in this area
Help with correspondence, public outreach, and records management
Assist the fire department and fire prevention experts with fire prevention education in your neighborhood, place of
business, schools, and community organizations
Assist the department with its canteen service so they will have water and food for major fires
Appendix D: Fact Sheets on Each Citizen Corps Program
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Terrorism Information and Prevention System
(Operation TIPS) |
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Operation TIPS, administered by the U.S. Department of Justice and developed in partnership with several other
federal agencies, is one of the five component programs of the Citizen Corps.
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Purpose of the Program
Operation TIPS will be a national system for reporting suspicious, and potentially terrorist-related activity. The
program will involve the millions of American workers who, in the daily course of their work, are in a unique position to
serve as extra eyes and ears for law enforcement. Workers, such as truck drivers, bus drivers, train conductors, mail
carriers, utility readers, ship captains, and port personnel are ideally suited to help in the anti-terrorism effort because
their routines allow them to recognize unusual events.
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How It Will Work |
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Participants in Operation TIPS will be given an Operation TIPS information decal that includes the toll-free reporting
number. That decal can be affixed to the cab of their vehicle or placed in another location where it is readily available.
The toll-free hotline will route calls received to the proper local, state, or federal law enforcement agency or other
responder organizations.
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Objectives of the Program |
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Operation TIPS is scheduled to be launched in Summer 2002 as a pilot program in ten cities. The program will give workers
from selected industries a formal way to report suspicious and potentially terrorist-related activity through a single and
coordinated toll-free number.
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Resources Available |
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The National Crime Prevention Council, in partnership with the Justice Department, will develop educational and training
materials for the industries that will participate in Operation TIPS.
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Citizen Corps Councils bring together a community’s first responders,
firefighters, emergency health care providers, law enforcement, emergency managers, and the volunteer community to involve
all citizens in emergency preparedness, mitigation, response, crime prevention, and emergency medical training. At the
national level, Citizen Corps includes FEMA’s Community Emergency Response Team training program, the Justice Department’s
Neighborhood Watch, Operation TIPS, and Volunteers in Police Service, and the Department of Health and Human Services’
Medical Reserve Corps.
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Neighborhood Watch Program |
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The Neighborhood Watch Program is already a strong force in community protection in America’s neighborhoods.
President Bush and Attorney General Ashcroft have announced that the National Sheriffs’ Association will expand the
Neighborhood Watch Program so that it serves more community groups, and offers community members new information about how to
recognize and report signs of potential terrorist activity in their neighborhoods. These residents are critical in the
detection, prevention, and disruption of terrorism. Many neighborhoods already have Neighborhood Watch programs. For those
that do not, this new initiative may provide the incentive for them to start one as part of Citizen Corps.
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Purpose of the Program |
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Over the next 2 years, the National Sheriffs’ Association will help to double the number of Neighborhood Watch Programs
operating throughout the country from approximately 7,500 to more than 15,000. Neighborhood Watch materials and training will
also be revised to teach individuals how they can assist in the war against terrorism by incorporating preparedness in their
daily lives. Neighborhood Watch will continue to work to reduce crime in neighborhoods nationwide by encouraging businesses,
the faith community, schools, and citizens to cooperate and assist local law enforcement by reporting suspicious activity.
Resources Available
The National Crime Prevention Council, in partnership with the U.S.
Department of Justice, has developed a Citizen Preparedness Guide for use in this and other Citizen Corps programs. The
guide provides specific actions that citizens can take in their communities to reduce crime. The guide outlines five
specific themes: protecting one’s self and family; protecting and comforting children; knowing and caring for neighbors;
reporting crimes and suspicious activity; and emergency preparedness. Get a free copy of the guide at www.citizencorps.gov/guidebook, or by calling 1-800-WE-PREVENT.
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National Sheriff's Association |
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The Neighborhood Watch Program is a highly successful crime prevention effort
that has been in existence for more than thirty years in cities across America. Neighborhood Watch brings together local
officials, law enforcement, and citizens for the protection of communities. Developed in response to a multitude of requests
from sheriffs and police chiefs nationwide looking for a crime prevention program that would incorporate citizen involvement,
Neighborhood Watch became a national program under the auspices of the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA). NSA has been
instrumental in launching the expanded Neighborhood Watch Program.
More information about the Neighborhood Watch Program and how to start one in your neighborhood is available at www.usaonwatch.org |
Citizen Corps Councils bring together a community’s first responders, firefighters, emergency health care providers, law
enforcement, emergency managers, and the volunteer community to involve all citizens in emergency preparedness, mitigation,
response, crime prevention, and emergency medical training. At the national level, Citizen Corps includes FEMA’s Community
Emergency Response Team training program, the Justice Department’s Neighborhood Watch, Operation TIPS, and Volunteers in
Police Service, and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Medical Reserve Corps.
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Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) |
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Community Emergency Response Team training is a Federal Emergency
Management Agency program that educates citizens about the hazards they face in their community and trains them in
lifesaving skills. If needed following a disaster, these citizen-responders use their training as part of a neighborhood or
workplace team to help others when professional responders are overwhelmed or not immediately available. CERT members
provide immediate assistance to victims in their area, organize spontaneous volunteers who have not had the training, and
collect disaster intelligence that will assist professional responders with prioritization and allocation of resources when
they arrive.
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Purpose of the Program |
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CERT promotes a partnering between emergency management and response agencies and the people in the community that they
serve. The goal is to train members of neighborhoods and workplaces in basic response skills. Then CERT teams are formed
and maintained as part of the emergency response capability for their area.
If there is a natural or man-made event that overwhelms or delays the community’s professional responders, CERT members
can assist others by applying the basic response and organizational skills that they learned during their CERT training.
These skills can help save and sustain lives until help arrives. CERT members also can volunteer for special projects that
improve a community’s preparedness.
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How It Works |
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The basic CERT training program is a 20-hour course, typically delivered one evening per week over a 7-week period.
Training sessions cover disaster preparedness, fire suppression, basic disaster medical operations, light search and rescue,
disaster psychology, team organization, and a new module on terrorism to educate CERT members about BNICE agents:
Biological, Nuclear, Incendiary, Chemical, and Explosive. This module will help CERT
members identify situations where these agents may have been used and protective actions that they should
take.
The training concludes with a disaster simulation in which participants practice skills that they learned throughout the
course.
CERT information including a CERT Instructor Guide and Student Guide is located on the web at http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/cert/index.htm.
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Citizen Corps Councils bring together a community’s first responders, firefighters, emergency health care providers, law
enforcement, emergency managers, and the volunteer community to involve all citizens in emergency preparedness, mitigation,
response, crime prevention, and emergency medical training. At the national level, Citizen Corps includes FEMA’s Community
Emergency Response Team training program, the Justice Department’s Neighborhood Watch, Operation TIPS, and Volunteers in
Police Service, and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Medical Reserve Corps.
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Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS)
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The Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) program is being developed by the U.S. Department of Justice in partnership with
the International Association of Chiefs of Police. VIPS is one of three Citizen Corps programs administered by the Department
of Justice.
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Objectives of the Program |
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The VIPS program is designed to address the increasing demands on state and local law enforcement agencies. In the
aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, already limited law enforcement resources are being stretched further at
a time when this country needs every available officer out on the beat. Some police departments are turning to civilian
volunteers to enable police officers to be on the front lines, working to make communities safer. These volunteer outreach
efforts will receive new support through VIPS.
Examples of Volunteer Support Activities Include:
- Assisting with traffic control;
- Impounding and storing marked abandoned vehicles;
- Searching for missing persons;
- Booking property;
- Transporting department vehicles;
- Enforcing handicapped parking; and
- Processing paperwork.
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RESOURCES & Current Practices |
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The VIPS program is scheduled to be launched in May 2002. The program will provide resources to assist local law
enforcement in incorporating community volunteers into the activities of law enforcement agencies.
A tool kit for state and local law enforcement agencies will outline a series of promising practices to help them design
strategies to recruit, train, and deploy citizen volunteers in their departments.
There are already many police departments across the country utilizing the talents and commitment of volunteers in
their communities to support the work of their officers. Examples of some of these programs are available on the Citizens
Corps website.
Go to www.citizencorps.gov and click on Volunteers in Police Service or contact your
local law enforcement agency to find out if they have a VIPS program you can join today. |
Citizen Corps Councils bring together a community’s first responders, firefighters, emergency health care providers, law
enforcement, emergency managers, and the volunteer community to involve all citizens in emergency preparedness, mitigation,
response, crime prevention, and emergency medical training. At the national level, Citizen Corps includes FEMA’s Community
Emergency Response Team training program, the Justice Department’s Neighborhood Watch, Operation TIPS, and Volunteers in
Police Service, and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Medical Reserve Corps.
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Medical Reserve Corps |
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The Medical Reserve Corps will provide local communities with medical volunteers who can assist health
professionals during a large-scale local emergency (e.g., pandemic influenza or a hazardous materials spill). Practicing and
retired health care professionals will be on a medical reserve list, ready to be called up to duty in the event of an
emergency. In addition to playing an important role during a large-scale local emergency, Medical Reserve Corps volunteers
would also be active in promoting the public health life of their communities throughout the year.
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Purpose of the Program |
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Medical Reserve Corps will usually be overseen by local Citizen Corps Councils. The U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS) will support coordination and training for volunteer health professionals so that they are
ready to assist their community in the event of a local emergency. Medical Reserve Corps volunteers can assist with
emergency response teams, provide care to victims with non- serious injuries, and provide additional manpower/staffing to
increase the effectiveness of physicians and nurses in a major crisis.
Medical Reserve Corps seeks to:
Draw Americans into volunteer service;
Create a framework to match volunteers’ skills with their communities’ needs;
Train a cadre of health professionals to respond better to the needs of their communities; enhancing their skills and
teaching them their roles in support of local emergency response efforts; and
Provide reserve capacity at the community level to respond to health needs for emergencies and/or for locally identified
public health needs and priorities.
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How Will It Work? |
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Local officials will develop their own reserve of medical professionals based on their
community’s needs. Once established, local officials will decide if and when to activate their Medical Reserve Corps during
an emergency.
Medical reserve volunteers will receive assignments based on their skills and qualifications. After each local
community develops its own team of medical reservists, these volunteers will be able to respond to local emergencies within a
few hours of being called into action.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is the lead federal agency for the Medical Reserve Corps. HHS will
work with local and state agencies to develop the program guidelines and a resource manual, and to provide technical
assistance to local communities who choose to develop their own Medical Reserve Corps.
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Citizen Corps Councils bring together a community’s first responders, firefighters, emergency health care providers, law
enforcement, emergency managers, and the volunteer community to involve all citizens in emergency preparedness, mitigation,
response, crime prevention, and emergency medical training. At the national level, Citizen Corps includes FEMA’s Community
Emergency Response Team training program, the Justice Department’s Neighborhood Watch, Operation TIPS, and Volunteers in
Police Service, and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Medical Reserve Corps.
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