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* Terrorism Information and Prevention System
<br />(Operation TIPS), under development by DO~,
<br />Operation TIPS would provide a hodine and referral
<br />system for workers in the trucking, shipping, maritime,
<br />and mass transit industries to report suspicious, and
<br />potentially terrorism-related, activities occuring in public
<br />areas to local, state, and federal law enforcement. The
<br />initiadve's design is based on existing programs, such as
<br />Highway Watch and Coast Watch, that allow truckers
<br />and ship captains to report dangerous conditions along
<br />their routes.
<br />
<br /> Additional Citizen Corps resources include:
<br />
<br /> Y¢ Are You Ready? A Guide to Citizen
<br />Preparedness, produced by FEMA, this guide pro-
<br />vides comprehensive practical information on how
<br />your family can prepare for any disaster. It includeds
<br />up-to-date hazard specific safety alps, including natu-
<br />ral and technological disasters, and newly updated
<br />information on terrorism. Are Tou Ready? is available
<br />on the Citizen Corps website, www. cifizencorps.gov.
<br />
<br /> ~ The Citizens' Preparedness Guidebook,
<br />produced by the Nafionai Crime Prevention Council
<br />(NCPC) with support from DOI, provides current
<br />crime and disaster preparedness techniques, as well as
<br />the latest information on terrorism, to give Americans
<br />guidance on how to prepare in our homes, neighbor-
<br />hoods, at work, at the airport, in places of worship,
<br />and in public spaces. The guide is available on the
<br />Citizen Corps website www. cifizencorps.gov or by
<br />calling NCPC at 1-800-WE-PREVENT
<br />(1-800-937-7383).
<br />
<br /> * Appendix A provides the website address of other
<br />federal agencies and organizations that have useful.
<br />information relating to the Citizen Corps mission.
<br />
<br />Other Activities
<br />There are many other opportunities for participating
<br />in Citizen Corps. There is a vast array of educational
<br />and volunteer activities already underway across the
<br />country that focus on making communities safer,
<br />stronger, and better prepared. They can be either
<br />interest-based programs or broad, community-wide
<br />initiatives. If your community participates in such
<br />activities, you may choose to integrate these efforts
<br />into the local Citizen Corps fight away. Examples
<br />
<br />could include:
<br />
<br /> ~g Local activities that are similar to Neighborhood
<br />Watch, CERT, or VIPS, but may have different
<br />names in your community;
<br />
<br /> ~ Family preparedness materials being taught and
<br />distributed in neighborhoods, in the workplace, and
<br />throughout the school system;
<br />
<br /> ~ Community, faith-based, and youth programs
<br />that establish neighborhood support networks and
<br />disseminate disaster preparedness educational materials
<br />and preparedness kits to disadvantaged, elderly,
<br />non-English speaking, and persons with disabilities;
<br />
<br /> ~ Programs that involve volunteer medical profes-
<br />sionals in an organized response to emergencies, such
<br />as those administered by the American Red Cross;
<br />
<br /> ~ Volunteer amateur radio operators serving as
<br />reserve communications experts in times of crisis;
<br />
<br /> ~ Volunteer engineers and engineering students
<br />performing structural analysis on critical infrastructure,
<br />lifelines, schools, and at-risk buildings;
<br />
<br /> ~ Programs for volunteers to participate in projects
<br />to reduce the damage to schools, hospitals, and
<br />other public buildings from known hazards in your
<br />area, such as floods, tornados, earthquakes, and
<br />hurricanes;
<br />
<br /> ~g Community and family disaster preparedness
<br />efforts conducted by established volunteer groups
<br />such as local Voluntary Organizations Active in
<br />Disaster (VOAD) and Volunteer Centers, or commu-
<br />nity service organizations, churches and faith-based
<br />organizations already active in your .community;
<br />
<br /> ~ Volunteer fire departments and emergency
<br />medical teams;
<br />
<br /> ~ Programs supported by the local Chamber of
<br />Commerce to train business owners and employees on
<br />disaster preparedness and emergency response measures;
<br />
<br />· High schools and college community service
<br />groups that promote Citizen Corps principles; and
<br />
<br /> ~ Volunteer participation in developing a commu-
<br />nity communications system for the color-coded
<br />Homeland Security Advisory System.
<br />
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