(Washington, DC) The DC Citizen Corps Council will participate in the first citizen-based disaster exercise planned for the District, November 22, 2003. More than 100 trained DC Citizen Corps volunteers will be involved. This exercise is being sponsored by the DC Commission on National and Community Service, DC Citizen Corps program, in concert with our partners, as a continuing commitment to create opportunities for individuals to help their communities prepare for and respond to emergencies.

"This disaster exercise marks the first time that trained volunteers from different DC Citizen Corps programs are working in a coordinated effort to test their emergency response skills," said Jerome DuVal, director of DC Citizen Corps. "They are bringing a wide variety of skill sets together and identifying their role in a disaster."

This exercise, scheduled to take place at the District of Columbia's Fire Academy complex, is designed to enhance DC Citizen Corps' ability to operate effectively and safely in an emergency environment. DC Citizen Corps volunteers will receive further training from experienced instructors on the use of the Incident Command System (ICS), and how the ICS can be modified and tailored to meet the needs of DC Citizen Corps. These training sessions will be followed by a formal functional exercise, which will provide an opportunity for volunteers to practice and test their emergency plans, procedures, and communications protocols in a simulated flood emergency environment. 

Throughout this exercise, DC Citizen Corps volunteers will interact in disaster simulations with DC first-responders and responding agencies, such as fire departments, police departments, emergency medical personnel, and other volunteer organizations, resulting in a better understanding of exactly how these agencies interact in an emergency and what capabilities each offers.

The DC Citizen Corps Council works with community partners that administer the DC Citizen Corps volunteer programs. The partners include Inner City Training Services - Emergency Medical Technician Corps, Metropolitan Police Department - Metropolitan Police Reserve Corps, The George Washington University - Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Community groups - Neighborhood Watch, DC Medical Society - Medical Reserve Corps, and American Red Cross, National Capital Region - Disaster Action Team, and Greater DC Cares.

The District recognizes the contributions that trained citizen volunteers can offer professional response agencies in an emergency, and encourages residents to become involved as "part of the solution."

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