Citizen Corps Conference And Community Emergency Response Team Training To Be Held In Las Vegas
Release Date: April 20, 2004
Release Number: R9-04-022
» 2004 Region IX News Releases
OAKLAND, Calif. - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region IX will hold the first-ever regional Citizen Corps Conference and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training at the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 17 21, 2004. The Nevada Division of Emergency Management will host the sessions.
"This conference will be a great opportunity to provide a forum for the participants to discuss the concepts of Citizen Corps, its accomplishments to date, and our combined goals for the years to come," said Farley Howell, director of the National Preparedness Division, FEMA Region IX. "Attendees will have an opportunity to meet and interact with program proponents and experts in various fields under the Citizen Corps umbrella," Howell said.
Citizen Corps is a national network of state, tribal, and local Citizen Corps councils whose mission is to have everyone participate in making America safer. The councils work to ensure that all Americans have the necessary information, education and skills to protect themselves, their families, homes and businesses from the dangers we all face natural disasters, terrorism, crime, public health issues and medical emergencies. They provide local opportunities for everyone to participate in hometown security through personal responsibility, training and volunteer service.
Representatives of Citizen Corps councils from the states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, as well as American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands have been invited to attend the free conference. Attendees will share success stories, methodologies, and innovative ideas for establishing and maintaining the interest of their volunteer communities.
Confirmed speakers at the conference include representatives from the Citizen Corps Program: Vince Talucci of the U.S. Department of Justice - Volunteers in Police Service; Karen Marsh of FEMA Citizen Corps; Mary Albright of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Medical Response Corps; Eric Shultz of U.S. Department of Justice - Neighborhood Watch; and John Carnegis from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security - Office for Domestic Preparedness.
Following the conference, a two and one-half day CERT training course will teach the attendees the basic skills necessary to protect themselves, their families and their community in time of disaster. CERT training is based on the premise that first responders will be overwhelmed during the first seventy-two hours after a disaster, during which time CERT-trained individuals can make a difference.
You must be pre-registered to attend the conference and training sessions. For additional information about pre-registration and the events, please contact Tessa Badua-Larsen at (510) 627-7185.
For more information about Citizen Corps, go to www.citizencorps.gov.
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 administers the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.
Last Modified: Tuesday, 20-Apr-2004 14:37:10