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| 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. |
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DHS and FEMA Updates
I'm Too Prepared to Be Scared—Is YOUR Event on the NPM Calendar?
On September 30, 2011 Teen Advocates for Community Safety and the Cedar Park Fire Department will partner with Chick-Fil-A' at their Family Night to conduct safety training and demonstrations, give out preparedness printed materials, and do fun safety games. All participates will be asked to tie a green string around their finger to remind them to take what they learned at the event and apply it to their homes, families, and business.
Thank you to Yvonne Lane for adding this NPM event to the calendar. We want to know what YOU have planned for your community during National Preparedness Month. Don't forget to go to ready.gov and join as a Coalition Member. Even if you joined as a Coalition Member last year it is important that you sign up again today.
We want YOU to be part of the national emergency preparedness effort!
Emergency Planning Video for People with Access, Functional Needs Released
Did you know that one in five Americans is disabled? "At FEMA, we don't plan for easy, we plan for real -- and that means doing a better job of meeting the needs of people with disabilities when a disaster strikes," said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. "We have to start by supporting and encouraging our entire emergency management team, including our state and local partners, to integrate the needs of people with disabilities into all of their planning. These guidelines are an important step forward in these efforts and will help ensure that shelters better meet the needs of evacuees with disabilities, from providing sleeping arrangements, to meeting hygiene and dietary needs, to accommodating for service animals."
The Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEEP) has released its latest video, Emergency Planning for Populations with Access and Functional Needs. The video training program is designed to introduce emergency planners to some of the issues associated with inclusive planning and provides suggestions on how to prepare a more comprehensive plan.
“Planning for a CSEPP event is no different than the preparation required for other hazmat events or natural disasters,” Robert Norville, CSEPP training manager, said. “Key issues are transportation, sheltering and protection of members of the community, no matter what their ability to care for themselves.”
Inclusive planning involves incorporating children and adults with access and functional needs into the general Emergency Operations Plan, not a separate annex. “What we are trying to do is bake in, not layer on how we meet the needs of children and adults with access and functional needs,” Marci Roth, director of the FEMA Office of Disability Integration and Coordination, said.
The video provides an overview of the legal mandates on planning for all members of a community. It offers suggestions on how emergency managers can identify vulnerable populations by bringing in subject matter experts who work with the disabled, elderly, child care providers and other faith-based and community groups. The program provides suggestions on how to effectively communicate emergency public information to people who may be non-English speaking or have hearing impairments.
Special considerations for sheltering are discussed and additional resources helpful to emergency mangers are provided in the video.
Copies can be obtained through the FEMA Office of Disability Integration and Coordination. For more details on the training, contact Robert Norville, CSEPP training manager. You can also view the Evacuation of Students with Access and Functional Needs webinar, which aired in April, on the Citizen Corps website.
Ten Days to Go—Submit Your Application for the 2011 Individual and Community Preparedness Awards Today!
FEMA is happy to announce that applications have been coming in from across the country for the 2011 Individual and Community Preparedness Awards.
The Awards showcase the work of the Agency's partners at the State, territorial, local, and tribal levels. This includes non-governmental organizations in the non-profit, faith-based, and private sector communities, as well as and diverse individuals, families, and communities. It is these partners who are FEMA's most important assets and allies in the Agency's ability to respond to and recover from any major disaster. FEMA especially encourages submissions from local Citizen Corps Councils— we want to know what you are doing in your community! Each Citizen Corps Council member is a community ambassador —FEMA is looking for ways to recognize Councils that excel in whole community engagement making communities safer, stronger and more prepared to respond to a disaster.
Submissions should emphasize achievements taking place between January 1, 2010 and June 1, 2011, and can feature examples of any outstanding achievements in individual and community preparedness worthy of recognition, regardless of category.
Winners will be announced in during National Preparedness Month, September 2011, and will be FEMA's honored guests at a community preparedness roundtable event in Washington, D.C. One winner will be selected to attend the 2011 International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) Conference in Las Vegas, NV, and to participate on a FEMA community preparedness panel. Entries must be received by August 26, 11:59 p.m. E.D.T.
Click here for additional information on this year's award process.
Follow up from NPM Webinar: Now is the Time to Become a Coalition Member for National Preparedness Month
Thanks to all able to join us for the National Preparedness Month (NPM) Webinar last Tuesday. More than 700 participants logged on for an update on NPM and to learn how individuals and organizations can leverage available preparedness tools to engage their congregations and communities. We invite your partnership toward building a stronger culture of preparedness and feel like participating as an NPM Coalition Member is an excellent first step.
Even if you were a coalition member last year, we urge you to sign up again this year. To sign up as a coalition member, and to receive our free, online toolkit, please visit http://community.fema.gov
The NPM webinar and materials are posted at: http://www.citizencorps.gov/news/webcasts/npm2011update.shtm. Please forward the link to any of your colleagues who may have missed it! Also feel free to share our blog posting from the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships (Below) which you can view and share at http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/07/27/now-time-become-coalition-member-national-preparedness-month. If you have any questions, please email us at npm@fema.gov
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Citizen Corps Partners and Affiliates Updates
2011 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program Guidance Is Now Available
The open application period for the 2011 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program will run from August 15 – September 9, 2011. FEMA's AFG Program provides funding for the essentials that firefighters and first responders need to be safe and effective on the job. If your department or agency has critical needs, AFG can help.
Who's Eligible for AFG?
Paid, volunteer, and combination fire departments and nonaffiliated EMS organizations from urban, suburban, and rural communities in the U.S. and its territories.
What Does AFG Support?
- Firefighting and EMS equipment
- Personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Fire and EMS vehicles
- Training programs
- Wellness and fitness programs
- Modifications to facilities
What's New This Year?
- Funding priorities have been categorized as: High, medium, and low. Use our priority system to increase your chances of winning an award.
- We've added new items/activities eligible for funding in 2011: Behavioral health programs, boats under 20 Ft., and extended warranties.
- Flashover simulators are not eligible for funding.
- Applicants may apply for more than one vehicle. However, driver/operator training/certification is required in order to receive a vehicle award.
Where Do I Apply?
Learn more about AFG and start your application online at http://www.fema.gov/firegrants
Need Help? Take Advantage of AFG Resources
We offer a variety of assistance to ensure that deserving applicants are successful:
National Safety Council on Back to School: Timely Tips for Motorists and Families
About the National Safety Council: The National Safety Council (nsc.org) saves lives by preventing injuries and deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the roads through leadership, research, education and advocacy.
The National Safety Council has partnered with First Student, the largest provider of student transportation services in North America, to share important back-to-school safety information. Millions of students will head back to school over the next eight weeks, and tens of thousands of school buses will be on the roads. It's crucial that all motorists understand how to safely share the roads with school buses, pedestrians and bicyclists. It is also a good time for parents and children to talk about how to stay safe at school.
"We are so pleased to partner with the National Safety Council on this back-to-school program,” said Gary Catapano, senior vice president of safety for First Student. “Millions of young people will board school buses and ride to school this fall, and it's vitally important that students, motorists and parents have the safety information needed to ensure a safe return to class.”
Back-to-school safety encompasses a variety of topics in addition to roadway safety. NSC and First Student have provided fact sheets and a video covering important safety topics regarding:
- Driving tips for all motorists
- Teen driving safety
- Bus safety
- Pedestrian safety
- Bicycling safety
- Backpack safety
- Playground safety
- School bullying awareness and prevention
“The Council is proud to partner with First Student on this back-to-school safety initiative,” said NSC President and CEO Janet Froetscher. “Research has shown distracted drivers ‘look at' but fail to ‘see' up to 50% of the driving environment, which can include student pedestrians and bicyclists. The back-to-school season is a good reminder to be responsible drivers as we all share the roads.”
For more information on back-to-school safety, visit nsc.org/back2school
These news stories and other Individual & Community Preparedness news can be found on our website at www.citizencorps.gov
Sincerely,
The National Office of Citizen Corps
FEMA Individual & Community Preparedness Division
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FEMA Fire Management Assistance Declarations Update
Texas Horseshoe Fire
Fire Management Assistance Declaration number 2949 declared on Aug 15, 2011
Louisiana Flooding
Major Disaster Declaration number 4015 declared on Aug 18, 2011
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