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
DHS/FEMA State Cybersecurity Training Program
The Adaptive Cyber-Security Training Online (ACT-Online) courses are now available on the TEEX Domestic Preparedness Campus. This DHS/FEMA Certified Cyber Security Training is designed to ensure that the privacy, reliability, and integrity of the information systems that power our global economy remain intact and secure. The 10 courses are offered through three discipline specific tracks targeting everyday non-technical computer users, technical IT professionals, and business managers and professionals. These courses are offered at no cost and students earn a DHS/FEMA Certificate of completion along with Continuing Education Units (CEU) at the completion of each course. See the list of courses here.
Potentially active volcanoes in the USA: Are you ready?
With the recent eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland, it is important to remember that the United States also has the potential for volcanic activity. Potentially active volcanoes in the U.S. exist mainly in Hawaii, Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. When pressure builds up within a volcano’s molten rock, it has the potential to erupt, sending forth lava flows, poisonous gases and flying rock and ash that can sometimes travel hundreds of miles downwind. See preparedness information regarding Volcano eruptions and other hazards at www.ready.gov.
Citizen Corps Partners and Affiliates Updates
Volunteer Retention and Recruitment Guide
Retention and recruitment of volunteers is critical to the success of any program, yet both can pose significant challenges to the organization seeking help. Fire Corps developed a Retention and Recruitment Guide that can help you understand volunteerism today and provides ideas and suggestions for retaining and recruiting volunteers. To see the guide please visit http://www.firecorps.org/implement.
Techies Behind The Scenes: Disaster Services Technology
It takes a lot of leadership, coordination and different skill sets to run a successful disaster relief operation. One of the advantages of volunteering with the American Red Cross (ARC) is the great training. For all the techies out there, the Red Cross has disaster services technology (DST). Within 12 hours of a disaster, a DST team is already en route. Their primary goal is to set up connectivity to support the Red Cross relief effort. By using satellite technology, the team can network the operation quickly. Once the network is completed, DST will start issuing laptops and equipment such as cell phones, printers, fax machines and radios. They can set up a 100 seat office overnight. Here’s the secret of DST: while the team’s tool box has some very high-tech solutions in it, the implementation is actually very easy. Get more information at the American Red Cross Blog.
Steps to Help Keep Pets Safe and Healthy
April is Pet First Aid Awareness Month™ and a reminder to keep your family pet safe and healthy as we head into spring and summer. See the American Red Cross steps to keep your pet safe. Also, be on the lookout for National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day on May 8 meant to raise awareness about the importance of planning for pets’ safety before disaster strikes.
NVFC Seeking Examples to Highlight for Pet Fire Safety Day
In anticipation of Pet Fire Safety Day, which will be on July 15, and the National Volunteer Fire Council is partnering with ADT Security Services to raise public awareness about pet fire hazards. They are currently seeking examples of pets that have started home fires to use in the public safety and awareness campaign. Pet Fire Safety Day is designed to educate pet owners about potential risks when pets are left home alone as well as provide the public with fire prevention and home safety measures to ensure the safety of everyone in the household, including pets. With an estimated 500,000 pets affected by home fires each year, Pet Fire Safety Day educates the public on how they can prevent and prepare for emergencies and present solutions for reducing these tragic instances. If your department has seen an instance of a pet starting a house fire within the past year, please contact Kimberly Ettinger at kettinger@nvfc.org or 888-ASK-NVFC (275-6832).
CDC FoodNet: Getting the Big Picture on Foodborne Disease
CDC’s Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), studies who gets sick and why and shares this information with groups and persons whose goal is to reduce the amount of foodborne illness in the United States. A report was recently released on the FoodNet data that was collected and analyzed for 2009. For the two key findings from the report, along with tips on how you can reduce your risk of illness, click here.
Awards and Grants
CDC Funding Opportunity Announcement: Preparedness and Emergency Response Learning Centers (PERLC)
CDC’s Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response (OPHPR) has published Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) #CDC-RFA-TP10-1001: Preparedness and Emergency Response Learning Centers (PERLC). U.S. accredited Schools of Public Health are eligible to apply. For more information click here.
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