Arkansas Citizens Corps Program
What is the Citizen Corps Program?
The mission of the Citizens Corps is to harness the power of every individual through education, training, and volunteer service to make communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to respond to the threats of terrorism, crime, public health issues, and disasters of all kinds. The Citizen Corps Program is composed of the five basic components listed below. For additional information regarding each program, contact the local partners listed, or visit the Ready.gov website listed below:
http://www.ready.gov/citizen-corps-partner-programs
Youth Preparedness Training
In addition to supporting the five components of the Citizen Corps, ADEM supports the implementation of youth preparedness training within the state. The Youth Preparedness Training Program is an initiative developed with guidance from the FEMA Region 6 Youth Preparedness Council. The Council has identified five FEMA/EMI courses which constitute the basic training required to educate youth in community preparedness and introduce them to additional training necessary to provide assistance to their family and neighbors in the event of a disaster within the community, whether man-made or natural.
An individual who completes the required coursework will receive a Youth Preparedness Certificate of Completion from the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management.
The five courses required to complete the program are listed below. These courses are Independent Study courses available online at no charge through the Emergency Management Institute. To begin the training, follow the links below:
IS 100.b: Introduction to Incident Command System, ICS 100
http://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-100.b
IS 200.b: ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents
http://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-200.b
IS 240.b: Leadership and Influence
http://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-240.b
IS 241.b: Decision Making and Problem Solving
http://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-241.b
IS 317: Introduction to Community Emergency Response Teams
http://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-317
EMI will issue course certificates upon the successful completion of each class.
Once all of the training requirements are completed, students will forward electronic copies of their course completion certificates to [email protected] . A printable ADEM Youth Preparedness Certificate of Completion will be emailed to the student.
- Community Emergency Response Team: This program educates people about disaster preparedness and provides basic disaster response training. For information regarding Arkansas CERT teams, please email [email protected].
- Fire Corps: Fire Corps promotes the use of citizen advocates to enhance the capacity of resource-constrained fire and rescue departments. Citizen advocates can assist local fire departments in a range of activities including fire safety outreach, youth programs, and administrative support.
- National Neighborhood Watch Program: Neighborhood Watch works to provide information, training and resources to citizens and law enforcement agencies throughout the country. Neighborhood Watch is administered by the National Sheriffs’ Association in partnership with the Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice. For more information, please contact your local police or sheriff’s department.
- Medical Reserve Corps: This program strengthens communities by helping medical, public health and other volunteers offer their expertise throughout the year as well as during local emergencies and other times of community need. MRC volunteers work in coordination with existing local emergency response programs and also supplement existing community public health initiatives, such as outreach and prevention, immunization programs, blood drives, case management, care planning, and other efforts. The MRC program is administered by HHS. For more information on the Medical Reserve Corps in Arkansas, which is sponsored by the Arkansas Department of Health, please visit the following link:
https://www.healthy.arkansas.gov/programs-services/topics/community-preparedness
- Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS): This program works to enhance the capacity of state and local law enforcement to utilize volunteers. VIPS serves as a gateway to resources and information for and about law enforcement volunteer programs. Funded by DOJ, VIPS is managed and implemented by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. For more information on the VIPS program, please contact your local chief of police.
If you are interested in signing up for the Arkansas Citizen Corps Program, please go to the following link and submit the application form:
http://ready.arkansas.gov/getInvolved/Pages/default.aspx
Fire Service
Fires, and the associated loss of life and property, can be prevented. Below are links to fire prevention and fire safety resources.
Home Fire Safety
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/
http://www.arkansasfiremarshals.org/index_files/Page1249.htm
Wildfire Danger AFC
http://www.arkfireinfo.org/index.php?do:showWildFires
Wildfire Reduction AFC Firewise
https://www.agriculture.arkansas.gov/forestry/arkansas-firewise/
Resources for fire safety education
http://www.arkfireinfo.org/index.php?do:showWildFires
http://www.homeinsurance.org/fire-safety-in-the-home/
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/
http://www.arkansasfiremarshals.org/index_files/Page1249.htm