This Citizen Corps News Digest is provided by FEMA's Individual & Community Preparedness Division to highlight community preparedness and resilience resources and activities recently announced by federal agencies and Citizen Corps partners.

DHS and FEMA Updates

New DHS Private Sector Office Initiatives
The DHS Private Sector office continues to find ways to engage the private sector. They have a new webpage at www.dhs.gov/privatesector where you can find all of the main initiatives that impact private sector partners. The page also provides easy access to many departmental resources, such as the Commercialization Office and SAFETY Act . They have also developed two new webpages that provide information on the DHS for a Day program . DHS for a Day is an opportunity for private sector partners to learn more about the DHS mission and their operations and engagement throughout the nation. Learn more about the overall DHS for a Day program and read specific stories of past events .

Only 16 Days Until the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut
The Great Central U.S. ShakeOut is a day of special events featuring one of the largest earthquake preparedness events in central U.S. history, organized to inspire central U.S. residents to get ready for big earthquakes, and to prevent disasters from becoming catastrophes. What we do now, before a big earthquake, will determine what our lives will be like afterwards. The ShakeOut drill will occur in houses, businesses, and public spaces alike throughout the central U.S. at 10:15 a.m. on April 28, 2011. Free registration at www.ShakeOut.org/centralus will pledge an individual's or group's participation in this important preparedness event. Participants will receive information on how to prepare for the inevitable major earthquake in the region and what actions to take before, during, and after the shaking.

Citizen Corps Partners and Affiliates Updates

Celebrate National Volunteer Week! April 10 - 16, 2011
For over twenty years the Points of Light Institute has encouraged nonprofit organizations to celebrate National Volunteer Week, "providing visibility, thematic focus and resources to enable them to commemorate this signature week of volunteer recognition." Programs like the President's Volunteer Service Award, Daily Point of Light Award and the Extra Mile - Points of Light Volunteer Pathway, recognize the impact volunteers have on the many challenges our nation faces. To learn more about National Volunteer Week, including how to nominate volunteers for awards and share stories about how volunteers are impacting your community, click here .

Put Safety First Before Opening a Window
As temperatures go up, so do windows in many homes. Opening windows in your home to enjoy the warmer temperatures may seem harmless, but open windows have proven to be sources of injury and death for young children. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) joined the National Safety Council in urging parents and caregivers to be aware of the dangers of leaving windows open when young children are present. According to CPSC data, falls from windows result in an average of about eight deaths yearly to children five years or younger, while an estimated 3,300 children ages five and younger are treated each year in U.S. hospital emergency departments. On average, one of every three children, about 34 percent, required hospitalization after falling from a window. Please read more from the CPSC here .

Sincerely,

The National Office of Citizen Corps
FEMA Individual & Community Preparedness Division

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FEMA Fire Management Assistance Declarations Updates

Texas Cooper Mountain Ranch Fire
Fri, 15 Apr 2011 09:44:54 -0500

Fire Management Assistance Declaration number 2889 declared on Apr 15, 2011

Texas PK West Fire
Fri, 15 Apr 2011 09:42:51 -0500

Fire Management Assistance Declaration number 2888 declared on Apr 15, 2011