2009 Collaborative Preparedness Planning Award

Cottonwood Heights Citizen Corps (UT)
The Cottonwood Heights Citizen Corps partners with the United Fire Authority, Amateur Radio Emergency Services, Radio Amateur Civilian Emergency Services, Salt Lake County EOC, and Rocky Mountain Power to increase preparedness in their community. In just two years, the Council moved from having one written emergency preparedness plan and few CERT members to implementing an emergency communication annex across the county. In addition, Cottonwood Heights Citizen Corps designed and conducted disaster drills to increase communication on the status of all homes needing medical attention and supplied this data to the city's geographical information system. The Citizen Corps also worked with local city officials to distribute colored streamers that correspond to the CERT triage system so that first responders can respond accurately during a disaster and ensured two safety frequencies were reserved to ensure clear communications.