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.

Dear CERTers,

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program at FEMA is pleased to announce publication of the new CERT Liability Guide , now available for download on the Supplemental Information page of the National CERT website at http://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/downloads/pdf/CERT_Liability_Guide.pdf

CERT programs across the nation support post-disaster response and help ensure that CERT efforts are as safe and effective as possible. CERT advocates have understood that program activities can create risk and adverse consequences; however, perceptions about liability may become a larger barrier to CERT formation, activities and partnerships than is justified by reality. The purpose of this Guide is to offer information and suggested techniques to help local CERT programs overcome this barrier. The audience includes local programs, their sponsoring government agencies and legal advisors, and CERT members themselves.

The new CERT Liability Guide presents the benefits of risk management for CERT programs, including building confidence and a positive public image for the program, reducing the cost of insurance and avoiding other costs, helping to preserve a local program's investment in its members, and increasing overall participation in CERT.

The Guide also presents five steps to effective risk management for local CERT programs:

Specific activities and considerations are described under each of the five steps.

Local CERT programs that consistently follow the process described in the new Guide can benefit themselves, their sponsors, their members, and the community. Please download and review the CERT Liability Guide . And please let CERT practitioners and advocates around the country know your thoughts about the new Guide or any aspect of CERT at the CERT Online Forum.

Share your ideas, suggestions and comments at http://community.fema.gov

Thank you!

Sincerely,

National CERT Program
Federal Emergency Management Agency

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DHS -FEMA Updates

***WEBINAR REMINDER***

How to Engage Your Community in Service Projects Year Round
TODAY, July 10
3:00 p.m. EDT (2:00 p.m. CT/1:00 p.m. MT/12:00 p.m. PT)

TODAY : FEMA's Individual and Community Preparedness Division and Ready.gov will present a FREE Webinar about the importance of community service and how you can host your own event to prepare your community for any disaster or emergency event. During the presentation, our speakers will discuss activities and events you can organize in your own community during National Preparedness Month 2012 and beyond and will also talk about partners you can work with to make your event a success. Plan to join us at 3:00 p.m. EDT .

Featured Speakers

Kelly DeGraff, Director of Disaster Services and Senior Advisor for the Corporation for National and Community Service

Rebecca Steele, Grants Manager and Disability Coordinator for Serve Montana

Register HERE if this is your first time joining the Community Preparedness Webinar Series.

Log in HERE if you have already registered for this webinar, have registered for a previous webinar or if you're a HSIN.gov user.

If you have questions regarding this event, please contact citizencorps@dhs.gov

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The ICP Awards Deadline is Quickly Approaching

The Individual and Community Preparedness (ICP) Awards nomination window is only open through July 31, 2012 . Submit your application today and recognize those individuals, groups, organizations and Citizen Corps Councils working to make your community safer, stronger, and better prepared for any disaster or emergency event. Winners will be chosen from 10 different award categories and announced in September, during National Preparedness Month. Honor your local champions of preparedness today!

Visit the Awards page on our Citizen Corps website for more information on how to apply!

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CERT Liability Guide Now Available

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program at FEMA is pleased to announce publication of the new CERT Liability Guide , now available for download on the Supplemental Information page of the National CERT Website. CERT advocates have understood that program activities can create risk and adverse consequences; however, perceptions about liability may become a larger barrier to CERT formation, activities and partnerships than is justified by reality. The purpose of this Guide is to offer information and suggested techniques to help local CERT programs overcome this barrier. Check out the Guide today to learn about the benefits of risk management for CERT programs and let us know what you think via the CERT discussion forum on the National Preparedness Coalition Website!

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Preparedness is a Hot Topic Online!

When you Pledge to Prepare you open the door to new resources, tools and discussions with colleagues from across the nation. Current online discussion forums include preparedness topics about how to get people motivated to prepare for emergency incidents; resources and community activities regarding youth preparedness and CERT activities. You can also connect and network with peers who are close to you in location. Pledge to Prepare today and join the National Preparedness Coalition! It's a great way to stay on top of new preparedness ideas, share your thoughts and learn about activities going on around the country.

Don't Forget to Mark These Dates on Your Calendar!

• July 7 – July 12: NAACP Convention, Houston, TX
• July 11 – July 13: FEMA Region I Youth Workshop and Roundtable, Boston, MA
• July 11 – July 13: NACCHO Annual Conference, Los Angeles, CA
• July 13 – July 15: National Governor's Association Annual Conference, Williamsburg, VA
• July 13 – July 17: National Association of Counties 77 th Annual Conference, Pittsburgh, PA
• July 23 – July 24: 2 nd Annual Conference on “Building Resilience through Public-Private Partnerships, Colorado Springs, CO
• July 23 – July 27: School Safety Advocacy Council's 7 th Annual School Safety Conference, Orlando, FL
• July 31: Deadline for submitting nominations for the 2012 Individual and Community Preparedness Awards
• August 1 – August 4: Fire Corps Global Forum for Leadership Fire-Rescue International, Denver, CO