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.

FEMA Program Specialist Position Open

FEMA's Individual and Community Preparedness Division (ICPD) recently announced the opening of a Program Specialist position within their office.

The incumbent will support the Division's outreach efforts, among other duties. The work requires knowledge of homeland security and emergency preparedness programs.

For more information about this position or other FEMA positions, please visit the USA Jobs website.

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FEMA Provides Youth-Based Technical Assistance Workshops

Leading educators and scholars in the field of preparedness education consider our nation's youth to be the best envoy for taking preparedness messages home to their families. In order to better prepare our nation's youth to bring preparedness home, FEMA is providing technical assistance workshops to state and local practitioners who support youth-based programs and who are interested in integrating preparedness education into their offerings.

As part of these workshops, participants hear from experts who have developed and delivered some of the most successful youth preparedness programs across the country. In discussing their programs, they also emphasize the following:

• Getting Started & Engaging Partners
  
  
• Identifying Curriculum
  
  
• Implementing the Program
  
  
• Promoting the Program
  
  
• Sustainment & Evaluation

You don't have to wait for a workshop in your area to get started. For more information about integrating preparedness education into your local youth programs, send a message to citizencorps@dhs.gov

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Put a Freeze on Winter Fires

As we move closer to winter, and home fires begin to increase, the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) are reminding individuals and communities that fire safety awareness and efforts are especially important in the coming months. To support this effort, the USFA and NFPA are sponsoring a special initiative - Put a Freeze on Winter Fires – to help get the word out about home fire safety .

Each winter, an estimated 108,400 home fires occur in the United States, resulting in approximately 945 deaths and $1.7 billion in property loss. Cooking is the leading cause of winter home fires, and holiday decorations and winter storms can cause people to turn to alternative heating sources, such as space heaters, which account for about one third of home heating fires and approximately 80 percent of home heating fire deaths.

Winter fires can be prevented! The following fire safety tips can help maintain a fire-safe home this winter season:

• Stay in the kitchen when cooking something on top of the stove or when grilling or broiling food.
  
  
• Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from space heaters, woodstoves, etc.
  
  
• Replace damaged electrical or extension cords.
  
  
• Never use the oven or stovetop to heat a home; carbon monoxide gas can kill people and pets.
  
  
• Don't put a live Christmas tree up too early or leave it up for longer than two weeks. Keep the tree stand filled with water.
  
  
• Avoid using lighted candles; try flameless candles instead.

For more information, visit the USFA Web site and the NFPA Web site .

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FEMA Major Disaster Declarations Update

New Hampshire Severe Storm And Snowstorm
Major Disaster Declaration number 4049 declared on Dec 05, 2011