"Helping our community coordinate volunteers to prepare for and respond to local emergencies."
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Homeland Security |
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Citizen Corps Councils are local community leaders that provide direction on issues relating to homeland security. These Councils, which include volunteer organizations, first responders, (fire, police, and emergency management professionals), and others prepare their community to handle any type of disaster or crisis situation.
The Mission of Citizen Corps is to harness the power of every individual through personal responsibility, training, and volunteer service to make communities safer, stronger and better prepared to respond to emergencies and disasters of all kinds, including threats of terrorism, crime, public health issues, etc., especially during major events when response agencies may be overwhelmed initially.
Programs directed by the Citizen Corps Council in Schoolcraft County are CERT and MRC.
Community Emergency Response Team Training (CERT) Program Prepares civilians to organize and train for disasters; develops partnerships between local government, response agencies and emergency management, and community members.
The Citizen Corps mission is to tailor activities to the community and build on community strengths to develop and implement a local strategy of having every American participate through:
1. Personal Preparedness. Developing a household preparedness plan and disaster supplies kits, observing home health and safety practices, implementing disaster-mitigation measures, and participating in fire/crime prevention and reporting.
2. Training. Taking classes in emergency preparedness, response capabilities, first aid, CPR, fire suppression and search and rescue procedures.
3. Volunteer Service. Engaging individuals in volunteer activities that support first responders, disaster relief groups and community safety organizations.
Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) coordinates a volunteer cadre of practicing and retired health professionals, physicians, nurses and others with relevant medical skills for assistance to fire, EMS and hospitals during large-scale local emergencies; serves a vital role by assisting communities with ongoing public health needs.
1. The Members of the MRC unit can truly benefit the community by knowing what their role is during an emergency, how they fit into the local emergency plan, and how to best respond so that they are a positive support structure for the first responders.
2. All MRC members will be trained to at least the following skills:
WHO CAN VOLUNTEER?
3. Volunteers can be active, inactive and/or retired health professionals, students in the health profession and others.
In addition, persons who do not have health experience may volunteer to provide basic support services.
PREPAREDNESS
By design, Citizen Corps units are local. The initiative is built on the concept that communities can help themselves by organizing volunteer resources within.
Being prepared to handle an emergency is a challenge for any community, but when a community is truly prepared, its residents will be able to mobilize quickly to minimize disability, death and emotional trauma resulting from an emergency.
Major local emergencies can overwhelm the capability of first responders, especially during the first 12-72 hours. Having citizens who are prepared to take care of themselves, their families and others during times of crisis will allow first-responders to focus their efforts on the most critical, life-threatening situations.
Community Emergency Response Team Training (CERT) Program
There are many tasks that a well-trained, organized group of citizen volunteers can perform on an ongoing basis. Some of which include:
oriented fire injury prevention messages
fairs
market new/upgraded services
life safety
planning for quick access to stocks of emergency supplies, shelter readiness and procedures review
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Website last updated:
07/19/2005 12:52 PM
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