Citizen Corps Councils

Harris County Citizen Corps: Key Collaboration and Communication Strategies

Overview
Located in southeastern Texas and encompassing the city of Houston and 32 additional smaller cities, the 1,779 square miles of Harris County are home to nearly four million residents. Harris County is the third most populous county in the United States and one of the most culturally diverse.

Due to its close proximity to the Gulf of Mexico and its topography, Harris County is prone to flooding and ongoing hurricane and tropical storm threats. In June 2001, Harris County was pummeled by Tropical Storm Allison’s tidal surge and the 20 inches of rains she dropped on Harris and neighboring counties. The storm took 22 lives and caused an estimated $5 billion in damage.

Harris County is also home to numerous potential terrorist targets:

The Port of Houston, which ranks first in the United States in foreign waterborne commerce, is the leading domestic and international center for almost every segment of the oil and gas industry and houses almost half of the nation’s petrochemicals manufacturing capacity;
The Texas Medical Center, with 42 member institutions, provides leading medical care to people from all over the world and is the world’s largest medical complex serving more than 70,000 daily;
The Johnson Space Center, home of NASA’s manned space program;
The fourth largest airport system in the country, with more than 43 million passengers traveling through its three area airports to domestic and international destinations;
Three national sport arenas hosting thousands of fans for popular events; and
A nuclear power plant located approximately 70 miles from the county.

Harris County, under the leadership of County Judge Robert Eckels, strives to provide innovative and common sense solutions to prepare and plan for these natural and man-made threats.

Council Background
Based on his recent experience of coordinating the response to the effects of Tropical Storm Allison and the ensuing recovery efforts in his role as the Director of the Harris County Office of Emergency Management (OEM), Judge Eckels realized the importance of citizen preparedness and was well-suited to reach out to those organizations, government entities and corporations involved in disaster preparedness response and recovery. Once identified, these groups were tasked with sharing their experience, resources, and suggestions to develop and sustain the Harris County Citizen Corps Council.

Strategy
The Harris County Citizen Corps Council was established to include representatives from 22 local organizations and agencies that agreed to meet quarterly and limit membership to no more than 25 representatives at one time. Initial Council board members represented a variety of local supporters including: elected officials, first responders, non-profit, faith-based, public health, business, and hospital representatives.

To gain local support and allay concerns, Citizen Corps Council leaders met with representatives of the Harris County first responder community – including more than 125 Harris County police groups – to educate each other about their unique roles and responsibilities and discussed the details of Citizen Corps programs, specifically CERT training.

Today, the Harris County Citizen Corps Council enjoys strong support from local first responders and also encompasses several Citizen Corps partner programs – Neighborhood Watch, Volunteers in Police Service, Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), and Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT).

To focus the multiple organizations and priorities, the Council drafted the following mission statement: “To make Harris County and the surrounding communities safer, stronger, and better prepared through service and volunteerism that focuses on emergency preparedness and public safety.”

The membership was divided into two sub-committees:

The Communications Subcommittee was established to coordinate communication at the Greater Houston Transportation and Emergency Management Center (a.k.a., Houston TranStar). The Subcommittee takes advantage of the pre-existing collaboration between the Harris County OEM and various public-sector transportation agencies and handles communication with first-responder entities and other organizations

The Coordination of Non-Profits with First Responders Subcommittee (CNPFRS) was charged with the task of maintaining the Regional Incident Management System (RIMS), a resource database containing information on all community service organizations that wish to provide services during an emergency or disaster. The Subcommittee also provides a seamless network of communication between non-profit organizations, first responders, volunteer agencies, and other emergency management agencies

Council Results
Due to the early attention to defining roles and responsibilities, the Harris County Citizen Corps Council has the full support of the area’s first responders and has expanded their coordination of volunteer and first responder services through the Houston-Galveston Area Council, a 13-county regional planning organization.

As a result of this close collaboration, the Harris County Fire Marshall’s Office and the Harris County Health Department were able to plan and execute full-scale disaster response drills that tested the skills and preparedness levels of the entire Harris County emergency medical response community.

Additional highlights of accomplishments include:

Developed the Harris County Citizen Corps Council Web site in English and Spanish, which has had more than 7,000 visitors since September 2003 - visitors who have logged more than 11,000 hours in the online volunteer tracking system
Engaged more than 2,200 individuals to participate in the four umbrella programs, CERT, Neighborhood Watch, Volunteers in Police Service, and the Medical Reserve Corps
Partnered with United Way of the Texas Gulf to establish the 211 emergency/non-emergency hotline to speak with emergency volunteers fluent in a number of languages, including Spanish, Vietnamese, Cantonese, French, and Chinese (http://www.unitedwayhouston.org)
Updated citizens in real time on impending weather problems by linking the Council’s Web site to the Harris County Office of Emergency Management
Forged partnerships with local area businesses and organizations to secure in-kind donations: ClearChannel (billboard ad donations), Hewlett-Packard (Council hats and backpacks), and Pride International (cargo storage space containers)
Received a $50,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Heath and Human Services that was used to begin the Medical Reserve Corps training program in partnership with the Harris County Hospital District (http://www.harriscountycitizencorps.gov/volunteer/orgabstract.asp?org=12)
Received a $70,000 grant from the Texas Association of Regional Councils (TARC) which aided in establishing CERT training programs, including the Harris County Department of Education’s CERT “Train the Trainer” program

The Harris County Citizen Corps Council Web site also allows volunteers to:

Obtain national, state and local disaster preparedness information
Sign up to volunteer their time and/or services/equipment
Link to service organizations they may be interested in
Log their volunteer hours and activities
Obtain information on training opportunities from Citizen Corps programs and partnering organizations

Next Steps
To further the reach of Citizen Corps in Harris County and maintain a sustainable Council, next steps for the Council leadership include:

Working with the Harris County Fire Marshall’s Office to recruit military personnel who have experience with bio-chemical and HAZMAT containment
Enhancing the Council’s Web site to track more demographic information of volunteers, and find different avenues for recognition of service
Increasing the number of volunteers in the CERT training program
Extending partnership development to include other local corporations and organizations that have a large presence in the Houston area

Additional Information and Resources

Harris County Mini Billboards Miniature billboards in English and Spanish that promote the Harris County Citizen Corps

Harris County Pencils Pencils created for the Harris County Citizen Corps

Download

The Bylaws of the Harris County Citizen Corps
Harris County Citizen Corps Council Bylaws (PDF Version -- 705 KB)
Harris County Citizen Corps Council Bylaws (Text Version -- 29 KB)

Non-profit volunteer agency interview questions with some answers directed to the agency Volunteer Houston
Harris County Non-profit Q&A (PDF Version -- 167 KB)
Harris County Non-profit Q&A (Text Version -- 7 KB)

An overview of the Harris County Citizen Corps from its website that includes the council's strategy and next steps
Harris County Website Overview (PDF Version -- 253 KB)
Harris County Website Overview (Text Version -- 9 KB)

The legal disclaimer and privacy statement / user agreement posted on the Harris County Citizen Corps' website
Harris County Web site Disclaimer (PDF Version -- 136 KB)
Harris County Web site Disclaimer (PDF Version -- 136 KB (Text Version -- 4 KB)

A release and indemnification agreement for volunteer participation in CERT training
Harris County CERT Informed Consent (PDF Version -- 72 KB)
Harris County CERT Informed Consent (Text Version -- 3 KB)

Two power point slides with chart depicting the overall organization of the Harris County CERT for training and planning and in instances of emergency response
Harris County CERT Organization (PDF Version -- 297 KB)
Harris County CERT Organization (Text Version -- 2 KB)

Flyers in both English and Spanish that give Harris County city service numbers to ensure that residents know where they can get help for their given situation
Harris County Make the Right Flyer (PDF Version -- 879 KB)
Harris County Make the Right Flyer (Text Version -- 3 KB)

A color brochure directed towards potential volunteers with 10 tips for volunteering
Harris County Citizen Corps Volunteer Brochure (PDF Version -- 116 KB)
Harris County Citizen Corps Volunteer Brochure (Text Version -- 8 KB)

The script for Judge Robert Eckels' PSA asking residents of Harris County to volunteer for Citizen Corps
Harris County Judge Robert Eckels' PSA (PDF Version -- 36 KB)
Harris County Judge Robert Eckels' PSA (Text Version -- 1 KB)

An article from the 1960 Sun on Judge Eckels encouraging Citizen Corps participation
Harris County Article on Judge Eckles (PDF Version -- 143 KB)
Harris County Article on Judge Eckles (Text Version -- 7 KB)

A publication of the Harris County Judges' office that discusses the importance of homeland defense and preparedness. It includes a call to join the Harris County Citizen Corps and a County Terrorism Preparedness Survey
Harris County Homeland Defense Publication (PDF Version -- 11.2 MB)
Harris County Homeland Defense Publication (Text Version -- 12 KB)

A news release presented by Judge Eckels and the Harris County Citizen Corps to a citizen who had helped rescue a family trapped in a burning van
Harris County News Release on Award (PDF Version -- 240 KB)
Harris County News Release on Award (Text Version -- 4 KB)

A certificate of appreciation from the Harris County Citizen Corps
Harris County Certificate of Appreciation (PDF Version -- 41 KB)
Harris County Certificate of Appreciation (Text Version -- 1 KB)

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