5.2. SR 01-27-2003 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Americans have acted with courage, compas- and unity. To capture this spirit and to foster an American culture of service, citizenship, and ~onsibility, President George W. Bush has called upon all Americans to dedicate at least two years 'their lives the equivalent of 4,000 hours in service to others. He launched the USA Freedom Corps initiative to inspire and enable all Americans to find ways to serve their community, their coun- try, or the world. Citizen Corps is the component of USA Freedom Corps that creates opportunities for individuals to volunteer ro help their communities prepare for and respond to emergencies by bringing together local leaders, citizen volunteers and the network of first respondcr organizations, such as fire depart- ments, police departments and emergency medical personnel. The goal is ro have all citizens partici- pate in making their communities safer, stronger, and better prepared for preventing and handling threats of terrorism, crime, and disasters of all kinds. CITIZEN COILPS LEADEILSHIP The Citizen Corps effort will be coordinated at the local level by Citizen Corps Councils, or a similar coordinating body, which will bring together leaders from the relevant sectors of your community. The purpose of the council is to have all decision makers at the table to manage existing volunteer resources, to leverage mutually supportive endeavors among the represented groups, and to direct the overall local plans to implement Citizen Corps in the community. At the state level, all Governors have appointed a state coordinator for Citizen Corps to facilitate this locally driven initiative. The state coordinator will work closely with the local governments, other state organizations, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Department of lustice (DOI), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and other federal agencies to implement a successful Citizen Corps program for the state. Key state responsibilities include: identifying needs and developing a statewide strategy fbr increasing the first responder and volunteer col- laboration; developing statewide marketing strategies; matching Citizen Corps training needs with other major state training initiatives; reporting statewide accomplishments; and ensuring that Citizen Corps communities receive considerations for relevant grant funding administered by the state. President Bush has requested more than $230 mil- lion from Congress in Fiscal Year 2003 to support and expand Citizen Corps initiatives. This amount includes funds to support the five national Citizen Corps programs, including nationwide training and grants to communities through the state to support local activities that foster preparedness programs and partnerships between the first responder organizations and the volunteers. CITIZEN CORPS PROGRAMS Citizen Corps programs build on the successful efforts that are in place in many communities around the country to prevent crime and respond to emergencies. Programs that started through local innovation are the fbundation for Citizen Corps and this national approach to citizen participation in community safety. Currently three federal agencies, FEMA, DOI, and HHS, administer five programs that are being promoted at the national level as part of Citizen Corps. These programs will be implemented nationwide by fall 2002. FEMA coordinates the overall effort of helping communities establish local Citizen Corps programs.