ARLINGTON COUNTY CITIZEN CORPS COUNCIL Arlington County hereby establishes a Citizen Corps Council (CCC) to bring community leaders together to coordinate the involvement of community members in emergency preparedness planning, mitigation, response and recovery. The Council will provide advice to the County Manager on the development and implementation of the County’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) to ensure that the Plan addresses the preparedness needs of all members of the community. Council Objectives • Coordination The Council will ensure that all planning is coordinated and integrated with the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) and regional plans (through the Emergency Planning Team) to provide an integrated public preparedness plan for Arlington. The Council will develop an integrated public relations plan including media, brochures, and presentations to promote all programs and activities across the community. The Council will establish a process to assess the effectiveness of its initiatives, particularly efforts to increase the awareness of the community and community participation. The Council will share its successes and lessons learned with other communities nationally. • Public Emergency Communication The Council will involve the community in developing and testing plans to ensure that emergency communication strategies are designed to reach all members of the community, in an emergency situation. The Council will ensure that strategies are designed to reach members of the community with hearing or visual impairments or other physical disabilities, and people with limited English proficiency. • Public Education for Emergency Preparedness The Council will develop a public education plan that seeks to ensure that all members of the community understand emergency procedures and are prepared. The plan will focus on ways to help residents take an active role in protecting themselves and to teach residents what to do in the case of a crisis. • Community Involvement and Volunteer Participation The Council will develop and coordinate a volunteer initiative and community involvement program to support public emergency preparedness. The Council will plan and develop 1) volunteer and non-profit programs that mitigate and respond to emergencies, and 2) programs that effectively manage volunteers who offer assistance in the midst of an emergency. The Council will match the needs of the first responders with the skills and abilities of volunteers. • Management of Community Resources for Disaster Response The Council will identify community assets and develop systems to ensure that emergency planning and response make effective use of all organizational and individual community resources including voluntary donations of personnel services, goods, and financial contributions. Structure of the Council • The Council will report to the County Manager and will be comprised of a Coordinating Committee and four Task Groups: Public Emergency Communication; Public Education for Emergency Preparedness; Community Involvement and Volunteer Participation; and Management of Community Resources for Disaster Response. • The Coordinating Committee and Task Groups will include members of the community who have special expertise related to the objectives including members of the community who have physical or language needs that require specific strategies. • Each Task Group will implement procedures for receiving and considering information from the public at large and from other community groups. • The Coordinating Committee and Task Groups will meet monthly. The Committee and Task Group chairs may schedule additional meetings as needed. • The Coordinating Committee or Task Group chairs may recommend additions to the groups as needed. The Coordinating Committee may recommend changes in the Council organization to the Manager. • Members will be appointed for three (3) years with 1/3 of the total being appointed each year after the initial three (3) years (2005). Council Leadership The Council leadership will be provided by a Chair, a Vice Chair, and Task Group Chairs and Vice Chairs, appointed by the County Manager, along with staff liaisons designated by the Manager. Coordinating Committee The Coordinating Committee is responsible for coordinating the work and recommendations of the Task Groups through the Deputy Coordinator of Emergency Services and the Emergency Planning Team. The Coordinating Committee is composed of the Council Chair, and Vice Chair, the Chairs of the Task Groups and members named from community groups that include the following: Local Emergency Planning Council Arlington County Chapter of the American Red Cross Civic Federation Chamber of Commerce Arlington business partnerships Emergency Medical Services Council Disability Advisory Commission Endependence Center of Northern Virginia County Council of PTAs Multicultural organizations Task Groups Each Task Group is composed of a Chair and Vice Chair appointed by the County Manager with representatives from organizations identified as having expertise and interest in the Task Group area. In addition to the groups named below, opportunities will be extended to the institutions of higher education located within the County and to the Virginia Hospital Center Arlington to participate in the Council. The representatives of the following groups will be requested to serve on the Task Groups: • Public Emergency Communication Civic Federation, Disability Advisory Commission and Endependence Center, media, Schools (PTA), amateur radio, businesses (partnerships and Chamber), Travel and Tourism Commission, Hispanic Committee of Virginia, utilities (phone company). • Public Education for Emergency Preparedness Civic Federation, Red Cross, Schools (PTA, preschools), Hispanic Parents Association, Catholic Diocese, Disability Advisory Commission and Endependence Center, business partnerships, Multicultural Advisory Commission, media, Commission on Aging, Community Services Board, Interfaith Council, Chamber of Commerce (public relations), Arlington Community Action Program, Tenant-Landlord Commission, Crisis Link. • Community Involvement and Volunteer Participation Red Cross; United Way; Coalition of Arlington Agencies for Response and Recovery; Civic Federation; Interfaith Council; Salvation Army; businesses (building engineers); business partnerships; Leadership Arlington; media; Partnership for Children, Youth and Families. • Management of Community Resources for Disaster Response Chamber and business partnerships, Interfaith Council, Leadership Arlington, United Way, Salvation Army, Arlington Food Assistance Center, Inter-Service Club Council, Civic Federation, Red Cross, EMS Council. Staff Support • Staff support will be determined by the County Manager. • All County agencies are expected to support the work of the Council as required. • The Schools and Constitutional Officers are encouraged to support the work of the Council. • The staff-based CEMP Task Groups of the County’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) will establish linkages with the Council and its Task Groups as follows: • CEMP Communication Task Group provides liaison with the Council Task Groups on Public Emergency Communication and Public Education for Emergency Preparedness. • CEMP Resources Task Group provides liaison with the Council Task Groups on Community Involvement and Volunteer Participation and Management of Community Resources for Disaster Response. Work Plan The Council’s work plan (Attachment A) identifies four tasks to be achieved by the end of December 2002: • Enhance emergency communication systems to the public (Communications) • Ensure public awareness of emergency communications procedures (Communications) • Provide the public with greater understanding on how to prepare for and respond to different emergency scenarios (Education) • Provide coordination and support for Citizen Corps programs (Volunteer opportunities) The remaining tasks are areas identified for incremental improvements that can be made continuously. The work plan recommends that these areas be reviewed by the appropriate Task Group(s) to produce recommendations for updating the work plan after December. The Council will submit a report to the County Manager on the status of its work and any revisions to the work plan by mid January. An annual report and annual work plan is due each July. County support will be provided as needed within available staff and budget resources. The Coordination Committee will work with the Task Groups to identify areas of the Council work that will need funding, to identify funding sources, and to develop proposals for funding. BACKGROUND On May 28, 2002, the Public Preparedness Planning Group was appointed by the County Manager, as authorized by the County Board. The purpose of the Planning Group was to develop a recommendation for the structure of a public preparedness council. The Citizen Corps Council is based on the recommendations of the Planning Group. The members consisted of the following people, representing a cross-section of organizations: Jackie Snelling, Chair Eugene Hubbard, Arlington County Civic Federation Bud Keith, Arlington Disability Advisory Commission Jack Sawicki, Arlington Emergency Medical Services Council Bruce van Voorst, Arlington business partnerships Christine Milliken, Arlington County Council of PTAs Patricia Yurrita, Hispanic Parents Association Ed Demoney, Arlington Interfaith Council Susan Aarhus, Arlington County Chapter of the American Red Cross Captain Cameron Henderson, Salvation Army Judy Connally, Arlington United Way County staff members supporting the Planning Group were led by Captain Clare Halsey from the Fire Department. Other County Staff that assisted were Fire/EMS Captain Mark Penn, Deputy Police Chief Rebecca Hackney, Deputy Police Chief Steve Holl, Police Captain Mary Gavin, Jean Berg - Arlington Volunteer Office (DHS), Claudia Kieffer - Crisis Assistance Bureau (DHS). Appendix A: Work Plan for Citizen Corps Council (CCC) I. Coordinating Committee 1. Coordinate planning for all Task Groups and County Plan through the EPT a. Develop plan for coordinating effective outreach to and input from community for all Task Groups to ensure plans address community members with special needs b. Develop mechanism for effective coordination with EPT (and first responders) on work products c. Review, refine objectives and work plan (by mid-January) 2. Review all recommendations from Task Groups; coordinate with the Deputy Coordinator for Emergency Services for submission to the EPT. By the end of December, review and submit: a. Recommendations for improving emergency communications, public awareness of emergency communications procedures, and public education on how to prepare for and respond to emergencies b. Recommendations for supporting and expanding Citizen Corps programs 3. Identify and coordinate with external entities (e.g. neighboring Councils, state support services) 4. Coordinate identification of resources to support the CCC a. Identify areas of PPC that will need funding b. Identify funding sources, develop proposals for funding for CCC programs and those of Task Groups 5. Develop a public relations plan to publicize Council programs, including community forums a. Develop plan for media, advertising, brochures b. Presentations, forums (by mid January) 6. Identify organizations representing residents who may need targeted plans due to their special needs. In cooperation with the Disability Advisory Commission, the Endependence Center of Northern Virginia, and the Arlington Community Services Board (ACSB), develop a comprehensive list of consumer organizations serving people with disabilities in Arlington or neighboring communities II. Communications Task Group 1. Improve procedures for emergency communications a. Develop standard messages for use in disasters (linked to educational messages) b. Review/assist in development of proposed alert systems 2. Identify/develop effective ways to disseminate emergency information a. Review/develop communications systems to alert the community to an emergency b. Review/develop communications systems to instruct the community during an emergency 3. Ensure communications targeted to meet community members with special needs a. Identify all members of the community who may need targeted communication plans due to their special needs (including people who are deaf and blind or communicate in a language other than English) b. Develop recommendations for targeted communication strategies III. Education Task Group 1. Develop Education Components a. Develop objectives for the minimum, basic information that all Arlingtonians should know b. Prepare content for basic information to be distributed 2. Ensure education plan targeted to meet people with special needs a. Identify all members or groups in the community who may need targeted education plans b. Review/develop educational materials targeted to meet special needs c. Review proposed material and, as needed, develop educational materials directed at children 3. Develop education delivery plan for the educational components necessary to meet the objectives including targeted plans for any populations with special needs IV. Community Involvement and Volunteer Participation Task Group 1. Support current programs a. Identify current, related volunteer programs and establish mechanism for coordination b. Identify needs and develop plan for support for existing programs c. Develop plan to publicize existing programs and develop outreach plans to recruit volunteers 2. Develop new volunteer opportunities a. Identify preparedness needs b. Develop plans to expand volunteer opportunities to meet those needs c. Design and initiate CERT training 3. Develop plan for identifying Arlingtonians with special skills and preparing a readily accessible inventory of the skills and associated people 4. Develop plans and programs to make effective use of volunteers for event based assistance a. Identify categories of needs that could be met by event-based/emerging volunteers b. Identify organizations and mechanisms that use event-based volunteers effectively c. Develop mechanism for matching volunteer skills and connecting volunteers with organizations or programs developed for event-based volunteers 5. Develop messages and public relations plans to support effective use of event-based volunteers V. Resource Management Task Group 1. Identify community assets related to emergency mitigation, response, recovery a. Identify and record types of donations needed for all hazards/emergencies in general and those needed for a specific hazard/emergency b. Determine standards must meet in order to be useful c. Identify and evaluate available resources 2. Develop systems to ensure full and effective use of community resources a. Develop method for receiving, cataloging, storing, and distributing materials b. Develop plans/methods for organizational partnerships to share or distribute resources, or both 3. Develop message to inform the public about what donations are helpful, what other volunteer roles may be available, what is helpful and what is not and to educate the public on how to make effective donations or plans to redirect to other volunteer opportunities