FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, July 29, 2003
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Federal Emergency Management Agency
(202) 566-1600 |
FEMA and American Red Cross Partner In Preparedness Through Citizen Corps |
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Washington, D.C. -- Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary of Homeland Security
for Emergency Preparedness and Response, today announced an official affiliation
between the American Red Cross (ARC) and President Bush's Citizen Corps
initiative. At the National Citizen Corps Conference in Washington, D.C., Under
Secretary Brown signed this affiliate partnership with Marsha Evans, President
and CEO of ARC. The partnership between Citizen Corps and ARC will help raise
public awareness about appropriate actions to take regarding disaster
preparedness and response, public health issues, life supporting first aid, and
volunteer service. ARC will help promote the formation of local Citizen Corps
Councils through local ARC chapter participation and assist these Councils by
providing public education and citizen training in emergency preparedness and
lifesaving sills, to include support for Community Emergency Response Team
training.
"The affiliation between Citizen Corps and the American Red Cross through
President Bush's Citizen Corps initiative will help raise public awareness about
disaster preparedness and response," Brown said. "I've worked with the American
Red Cross for years, and I look forward to helping expand the role citizens play
within their community to be more secure and better able to respond to disasters
of all kinds."
The National Citizen Corps Conference, held in Washington, D.C. this week,
brings together 250 state, local, and federal representatives from across the
country, affiliate Citizen Corps programs, and the National Citizen Corps
Council. The Conference allows participants to share information and best
practices, as well as discuss collaboration among state, tribal, and local
Citizen Corps Councils to identify opportunities for volunteer service to
support first responders.
The agreement adds the ARC as an affiliate to the four federal charter
Citizen Corps programs: Neighborhood Watch and Volunteers in Police Service,
administered by the Department of Justice; Community Emergency Response Teams
(CERT), administered by FEMA; and Medical Reserve Corps, administered by the
Department of Health and Human Services. The ARC also joins the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration, Local Emergency Planning Committees of the
Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools of the
Department of Education, Amateur Radio Relay League, National Safety Council,
Points of Light Foundation, National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster,
National Volunteer Fire Council, National Fire Protection Association, Save A
Life Foundation, and The U.S. Junior Chamber as Citizen Corps affiliate
programs.
Under the direction of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which
is part of the Department of Homeland Security, Citizen Corps is a
community-based initiative to engage all citizens in homeland security and
community and family preparedness through public education and outreach,
training opportunities, and volunteer programs. Programs under the Citizen Corps
umbrella include federally sponsored programs and other activities that share
the goal of helping communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to
all-hazards.
Citizen Corps encourages all Americans to take an active role in building
safer, stronger, and better-prepared communities.
For more than 122 years, the mission of the ARC has been to help people
prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. A humanitarian organization
led by volunteers, guided by its Congressional Charter and Fundamental
Principles of the International Red Cross Movement, the ARC is woven into the
fabric of our communities with 940 chapters nationwide. In fulfilling its
mission, the ARC is empowering Americans to take practical steps to make
families, neighborhoods, schools and workplaces safer, healthier and more
resilient in the face of adversity.
On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security. FEMA's continuing mission within the new department is to lead the
effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal
response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also
initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages
Citizen Corps, the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire
Administration.
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