Appendices
Appendix A: Citizen Corps Related Websites
Government
USA Freedom Corps
www.usafreedomcorps.govCitizen Corps
www.citizencorps.govCorporation for National and Community Service
www.cns.govFederal Emergency Management Agency
www.fema.govDepartment of Justice
www.justice.govDepartment of Health and Human Services
www.hhs.govCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.govNational Regulatory Commission
www.nrc.govEnvironmental Protection Agency
Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office
www.epa.gov/ceppoNational Weather Service
www.nws.noaa.govU.S. Geological Survey
www.usgs.govOffice of Homeland Security
www.whitehouse.gov/homelandU.S. State and Local Gateway
www.statelocal.govEmergency Managers
National Emergency Managers Associations
www.nemaweb.orgInternational Association of Emergency Managers
www.iaem.comFirst Responders
Police
International Association of Chiefs of Police www.theiacp.org
National Sheriffs Association
www.sheriffs.orgNational Crime Prevention Council
www.ncpc.orgPolice Executive Research Forum www.policeforum.org
National Law Enforcement and
Corrections Technology Center
www.nlectc.orgFire
International Association of Fire Chiefs www.iafc.org
National Volunteer Fire Council
www.nvfc.orgInternational Association of Fire Fighters
www.iaff.orgNational Fire Protection Association
www.nfpa.orgFire Department Safety Officers Association
www.fdsoa.orgEmergency Medical Services
National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians
www.naemt.orgNational Association of EMS Educators
www.naemse.orgInternational Rescue and Emergency Care Association
www.ireca.orgVolunteer Organizations
National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster www.nvoad.org
American Red Cross
www.redcross.orgPoints of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center
www.pointsoflight.orgNational Network
United Way
www.unitedway.orgAssociation for Volunteer Administration
www.avaintl.organd Volunteer Managers
Network For Good
www.networkforgood.orgThe Independent Sector
www.independentsector.orgVolunteer Match
www.volunteermatch.orgBusiness Associations
US Chamber of Commerce
www.uschamber.comCenter for Corporate Citizenship
www.uschamber.com/ccc Appendix B: Potential Resources for Citizen CorpsThese questions may help you identify resources to help you implement Citizen Corps.
General
Volunteer
Schools and Universities
Business Sector
Media
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
Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT)
Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS)
Medical Reserve Corps
During emergencies, members of the Medical Reserve Corps could:
In non-emergency situations, local agencies could request volunteers to assist them in performing their routine duties. Volunteers could:
Fire Department
Terrorism Information and Prevention System (Operation TIPS) |
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. |
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. |
How It Will Work |
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. |
Objectives of the Program |
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. |
Resources Available |
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. |
Citizen Corps Councils bring together a communitys 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 FEMAs Community Emergency Response Team training program, the Justice Departments Neighborhood Watch, Operation TIPS, and Volunteers in Police Service, and the Department of Health and Human Services Medical Reserve Corps.
Neighborhood Watch Program |
The Neighborhood Watch Program is already a strong force in community protection in Americas 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. |
Purpose of the Program |
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. |
National Sheriff's Association |
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 communitys 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 FEMAs Community Emergency Response Team training program, the Justice Departments Neighborhood Watch, Operation TIPS, and Volunteers in Police Service, and the Department of Health and Human Services Medical Reserve Corps.
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) |
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. |
Purpose of the Program |
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 communitys 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 communitys preparedness. |
How It Works |
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. |
Citizen Corps Councils bring together a communitys 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 FEMAs Community Emergency Response Team training program, the Justice Departments Neighborhood Watch, Operation TIPS, and Volunteers in Police Service, and the Department of Health and Human Services Medical Reserve Corps.
Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) |
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. |
Objectives of the Program |
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:
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RESOURCES & Current Practices |
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 communitys 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 FEMAs Community Emergency Response Team training program, the Justice Departments Neighborhood Watch, Operation TIPS, and Volunteers in Police Service, and the Department of Health and Human Services Medical Reserve Corps.
Medical Reserve Corps |
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. |
Purpose of the Program |
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: |
How Will It Work? |
Local officials will develop their own reserve of medical professionals based on their communitys 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. |
Citizen Corps Councils bring together a communitys 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 FEMAs Community Emergency Response Team training program, the Justice Departments Neighborhood Watch, Operation TIPS, and Volunteers in Police Service, and the Department of Health and Human Services Medical Reserve Corps.