Howard County, Maryland, Implements Community Emergency Response Network
Release Date: May 22, 2003
Release Number: HQ-03-120
Washington, D.C. -- As this week's Smart Practice, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) highlights the efforts of Howard County, Md., in developing the Community Emergency Response Network (CERN). CERN was launched in Howard County by community-based organizations to involve as many citizens and sectors of the community as possible into a local network to prepare for and respond to emergencies affecting the area. The proximity of Howard County to Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Md., created a desire for residents to be better prepared in the event of an emergency situation.
"FEMA's effort to prepare the nation includes highlighting the smart practices of state and local emergency managers and first responders to strengthen their preparedness and response capabilities," said Michael D. Brown, undersecretary for Emergency Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. "By collecting and sharing the best ideas from the state and local level, FEMA can help communities improve their emergency preparedness and response-related activities for effective programs."
State and local smart practices could involve: effective mutual aid practices, response operations, training, assessment tools, planning models, exercises, standards and competencies, incident management and much more. Selected smart practices will be e-mailed to state and local customers in a weekly Spotlight on Smart Practices bulletin. Visit www.fema.gov/onp to read about Howard County, Md., and their efforts to implement CERN to better prepare residents and members of the community for disasters of all kinds, as well as view other smart practices.
To submit a smart practice idea to share with other emergency managers and responders or to subscribe to the weekly Spotlight on Smart Practices, e-mail a request to SmartPractices@fema.gov.
Last Modified: Thursday, 22-May-2003 16:39:51