HAMILTON COUNTY
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FEMA And American Radio Relay League Partner In Preparedness Through Citizen Corps
ARRL now is an official affiliate program of Citizen Corps, an initiative within the Department of Homeland Security to enhance public preparedness and safety.
On June 21,
2003, Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary of Homeland
Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response, announced
an official affiliation between the American Radio Relay
League (ARRL) and President Bush's Citizen Corps initiative.
At the ARRL National Conference, sponsored by "Ham-Com,"
celebrating its 25th anniversary in Arlington, Texas,
an affiliate partnership was signed between ARRL and
Citizen Corps. The signed partnership will raise public
awareness about the use of Amateur Radio as a public
safety resource, provide training and accreditation
for Amateur Radio Emergency Communications, as well
as assist Citizen Corps Councils with publi c education,
training and
volunteer service opportunities that
support first responders, disaster relief organizations,
and community safety efforts.
"The affiliation
between Citizen Corps and the American Radio Relay League
will help raise public awareness about public safety
through the use of Amateur Radio," Brown said. "I look
forward to working with the American Radio Relay League
to expand the role citizens play within their community
to be more secure and better able to respond to
disasters
of all kinds."
The agreement adds the ARRL as
an affiliate to the four charter Citizen Corps programs:
Neighborhood Watch, Volunteers in Police Service, Community
Emergency Response Teams (CERT), and Medical Reserve
Corps. The ARRL joins the National Safety Council, Points
of Light Foundation, National Voluntary Organizations
Active in Disaster, National Volunteer Fire Council,
National Fire Protection Association, Save A Life Foun
dation, and The U.S. Junior Chamber as Citizen Corps
affiliate programs.
Under the direction of the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is
part of the Department of Homeland Security, Citizen
Corps is a community-based initiative to engage all
citizens in homeland security and community and family
preparedness through public education and outreach,
training opportunities, and volunteer programs. Programs
under
the Citizen Corps umbrella include federally
sponsored programs and other activities that share the
goal of helping communities prevent, prepare for, and
respond to all-hazards. Citizen Corps encourages all
Americans to take an active role in building safer,
stronger, and better-prepared communities.
The
ARRL is a non-commercial membership association of radio
amateurs organized for the promotion of interest in
Amateur Radio communication and experimentation, for
the establishment of networks to provide communi cations
in the event of disasters or other emergencies, for
the advancement of the public welfare, for the representation
of the Radio
Amateur in legislative and regulatory
matters. ARRL is the principal organization representing
the interests of the more than 650,000 U.S. Radio Amateurs.
Because of its organized emergency communications capability,
ARRL's Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) can be
of valuable assistance in providing critical and essential
communications
during emergencies and disasters when
normal lines of communication are disrupted. ARRL conducts
emergency communications training and certifies proficiency
in emergency communications skills.
ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, signed a formal Statement of Affiliation between DHS and ARRL during the ARRL 2003 National Convention June 21 in Dallas, Texas.
Chief Operating Officer of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate (FEMA) Ron Castleman represented DHS at the signing. Citizen Corps Liaison to the White House Liz DiGregorio called ham radio operators the "first of the first responders."
"You are there. You are part of that very, very first response when it happens locally,"' especially in the initial stages of an emergency or disaster, DiGregorio told the overflow audience at the signing ceremony. She urged amateurs to explore ways to expand their role in the community beyond being the last resort when other communication systems fail. "You need to show your community that you're engaged," she said. "They need to know as a community that ARRL is there.''
Among other things, the affiliation statement calls on DHS and ARRL to raise public awareness of Amateur Radio as a safety resource. In addition, DHS and ARRL will cooperate in providing training and accreditation for Amateur Radio emergency communications and promote the formation of local Citizen Corps councils.
(Above information from ARRL Release No: HQ-03-138 and ARLB041, dated June 21, 2003)
Hamilton County Emergency Communicators --- Hamilton County Amateur Radio Club