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Vol. I, Issue 9 (October 18, 2002)

President Bush is recognizing individuals around the country who are answering his call to serve at least two years of their lives-the equivalent of 4,000 hours-in service to their communities.

On a recent trip to Oregon, the President recognized Matthew Epstein as an example of the dedication to service he is hoping to instill in all Americans through his USA Freedom Corps initiative. Epstein volunteers with the Oregon State University extension service to educate local community groups about forest health and management. He also volunteers at an elementary school as a reading tutor and, with his wife, runs ACCESS Food Pantry, an organization that distributes surplus food collected from local farmers and grocery stores to people in need.

The President also met with Jerome Harvey, an assistant fire chief and emergency management coordinator with the Lead (Iowa) Fire Department, who started as a volunteer firefighter at age 13. It was this volunteer work that led to his full time job, and Harvey now volunteers on incident management teams throughout the United States, responding to wildfires and other disasters. For the past five years Harvey has also volunteered with the Lawrence County Search and Rescue team, and for the last fifteen years, has volunteered with the local ambulance service as an emergency medical technician and with the Northern Hills Fire Prevention Team, teaching people about fire prevention.

In This Issue:

  • News You Can Use: Citizen Corps Signs on First Affiliate During National Fire Prevention Week; Jaycees Pledge Support for Citizen Corps; USA Freedom Corps Launches Volunteer Service Indicators
  • Ask Citizen Corps: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
  • What's Happening at: Department of Justice, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Health and Human Services
News You Can Use

FEMA Director Allbaugh Announces First Official Citizen Corps Affiliate
In conjunction with National Fire Prevention Week, FEMA and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) signed a partnership agreement on October 10 to work together to raise public awareness about fire hazards. Together they will encourage communities to develop fire safety training and education initiatives for children and families through the Citizen Corps network of state and local councils.

The NFPA is an international nonprofit organization that seeks to reduce the burden of fire and other hazards to quality of life by providing and advocating scientifically-based consensus codes and standards, research, training and education initiatives.

Junior Chambers of Commerce Pledge Support for Citizen Corps
The United States Junior Chambers of Commerce (Jaycees) announced their participation in a nationwide citizen crisis preparation and response program. More than 650 chapters are committing over 6,600 hours of service to Citizen Corps. In addition, the Jaycees are assisting in recruiting and training volunteers for Citizen Corps.

Census to Collect Volunteer Service Indicators
The USA Freedom Corps office is working with the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau to create a comprehensive national measure of volunteer service. The recently completed September 2002 Current Population Survey will establish a benchmark for new "volunteer service indicators" to be released this year.

The questions for the survey are designed to measure not only how many Americans are engaged in volunteer service, but also the frequency of their volunteer activity, the kinds of organizations they volunteer with and the types of activities they choose. Among those individuals who don't volunteer, the questions are designed to identify barriers to volunteering and steps that would make it easier to volunteer. Current plans include collecting the volunteer service indicators in September 2003 and in subsequent years if resources permit.

Ask Citizen Corps

Q: What should I be doing during National Fire Prevention Week to protect my family?

A: There are many things to do in the home to be safer from the dangers of fire. Across the country we have seen that simple precautionary measures, such as having working smoke detectors, learning how to use a fire extinguisher, and practicing fire drills with your family can save lives. This is why FEMA has now partnered with the National Fire Protection Association to support Citizen Corps and public education and outreach on fire safety. Please visit the NFPA website, www.nfpa.org/Education/index.asp to learn more about what you can do right now to be safer.

Got a question you'd like to see answered in CCE-News? E-mail us at AskCitizenCorps@fema.gov. We cannot answer every e-mail individually, so you might want to go to the section of the Citizen Corps Website that answers frequently asked questions, http://www.citizencorps.gov/ready/faq.shtm.

What's Happening at: Department of Justice (DOJ)
  • Leaders in law enforcement and volunteerism joined with key policy makers to chart the future directions (and ways to get there) of the Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) program. This was the kick-off meeting of the VIPS Advisory Committee, held September 27 at the headquarters of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) in Alexandria, Virginia.
  • Dodge City, Kansas was the location for the Annual Conference of the IACP, held October 6. VIPS project staff and members of the Dodge City Police Department collaborated on a presentation entitled, "Volunteers in Police Service: Dodge City's Citizen-Assisted Policing Program." This workshop provided a broad overview of the VIPS program and offered information to law enforcement executives on how to develop, implement and manage programs designed to meet the specific needs of their departments and communities. The workshop attracted participants from some 80 communities.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
  • Citizen Corps Councils -- FEMA and the State Citizen Corps coordinators are working hard to help communities across the country get local Citizen Corps Councils up and running. There are now over 170 Councils in almost every state and this number is growing every day. Community leaders continue to get the word out about how important it is to engage all citizens in homeland security and in making our communities safer, stronger, and better prepared. Even if your community has not yet formed a Council there may be other ongoing programs in your area focusing on crime prevention, emergency preparedness, and public health issues. We suggest you contact your mayor's office, or other local official, to express your interest in having Citizen Corps in your community and to find out what activities may already be underway.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
  • Officials at HHS are fine-tuning final arrangements for launch of the Medical Reserve Corps. Stay tuned for an announcement on the start of that program.

Visit the websites of Citizen Corps partners: Department of Justice, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Health and Human Services, USA Freedom Corps