About Citizen Corps : Citizen Corps creates opportunities for individuals to help their communities prepare for and respond to emergencies by bringing together local leaders, citizen volunteers and the network of first responder organizations, such as fire departments, police departments and emergency medical personnel.
The program provides a means by which citizens can participate in making their communities safer, stronger and better prepared for preventing and handling threats of terrorism, crime and disasters of all kinds.
Everyone can do something to help make our families and our communities safer through:
Personal responsibility : Developing a household preparedness plan and disaster supplies kits, observing home health and safety practices, implementing disaster mitigation measures, and participating in crime prevention and reporting.
Training : Taking classes in emergency preparedness, response capabilities, first aid, CPR, fire suppression, and search and rescue procedures.
Volunteer service : Engaging individuals in volunteer activities that support first responders, disaster relief groups, and community safety organizations. Everyone can do something to support local law enforcement, fire, emergency medical services, community public health efforts, and the four stages of emergency management: prevention, mitigation, response and recovery efforts. There are five programs under Citizen Corps:
Plano ’s Citizen Corps Council’s (CCC) mission is to foster the development, growth and sustainability of efforts by: increasing public awareness, sharing information, promoting training and encouraging partnerships to make Plano safer and better prepared to respond to any type of disaster if and when needed. So that citizens are engaged in creating and maintaining safer communities through individual and community preparedness.
The Community Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T.) Program educates people about disaster preparedness and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, and disaster medical operations. Using their training, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event and can take a more active role in preparing their community. To find out more about Plano’s CERT Program and schedule, contact Mariah Armitage 972-941-5552 or mariaha@plano.gov
For additional sources on CERT go to:
Collin County Homeland Security - http://www.co.collin.tx.us/homeland_security/citizen/index.jsp
FEMA Web Site - http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/CERT/
Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) 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.
The Plano Police Department sponsors a Citizen's Police Academy , with the purpose of educating the citizens of Plano on the operations of the Police Department. This is accomplished through a series of lectures and hands-on activities. Once you have completed this academy, you are eligible to sign as an academy alumni and assist with volunteer projects. To find out more about the program and how to sign up , call or email Sgt. Frank McElligott for additional information at 972.941.2527 or go to our website at http://www.plano.gov/Departments/Police/Citizen Programs/citizen_academy.htm
| The mission of Fire Corps is to enhance the ability of fire departments to utilize citizen advocates and provide individuals with opportunities to support their local fire departments with their time and talent.
Plano ’s Citizen’s Fire Academy (CFA) is designed for adults to learn more about how the fire department is organized and operates, the CFA is open to persons 18 and older who either live or work in the City of Plano . The ten-week class meets one night a week at the Fire Administration building on Avenue K. Each night, CFA participants learn about a different aspect of the fire department, ranging from emergency medical services to hiring and training firefighters to special rescue operations. During the ten weeks of the class, CFA participants also spend time at fire stations and riding on the engines to emergency calls. This is not a certification course. For more information or to have an application sent to you, contact the Public Education Office at (972) 941-7421 or go to http://www.plano.gov/Departments/Fire Department/Fire and Life Safety/CFA.htm |  The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) program coordinates the skills of practicing and retired physicians, nurses and other health professionals as well as other citizens interested in health issues, who are eager to volunteer to address their community's ongoing public health needs and to help their community during large-scale emergency situations. Collin County MRC volunteers may also serve a vital role by assisting their communities with ongoing public health needs, such as immunizations, screenings, health and nutrition education, and volunteering in community health centers and local hospitals. MRC volunteers are provided specific areas to target that strengthen the public health infrastructure of their communities. The overarching goal is to improve health literacy, and in support of this, to work towards increasing disease prevention, eliminating health disparities, and improving public health preparedness. For more information contact Nichol Andrews from the Collin County Homeland Security Office at 972-548-5578 or nandrews@collincountytx.gov | |
|
|
|
|
The Neighborhood Watch program is a highly successful effort that has been in existence for more than thirty years in cities and counties across America . It provides a unique infrastructure that brings together local officials, law enforcement and citizens to protect our communities. Around the country, neighbors for three decades have banded together to create Neighborhood Watch programs. They understand that the active participation of neighborhood residents is a critical element in community safety - not through vigilantism, but simply through a willingness to look out for suspicious activity in their neighborhood, and report that activity to law enforcement and to each other. In doing so, residents take a major step toward reclaiming high-crime neighborhoods, as well as making people throughout a community feel more secure and less fearful.
In the aftermath of September 11, 2001 , the need for strengthening and securing our communities has become even more critical, and Neighborhood Watch groups have taken on greater significance. In addition to serving a crime prevention role, Neighborhood Watch can also be used as the basis for bringing neighborhood residents together to focus on disaster preparedness as well as terrorism awareness; to focus on evacuation drills and exercises; and even to organize group training, such as the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training.
To sign up as a Plano Neighborhood Watch program, contact Linda Barnes at 972/941-2440 or email her at lbarnes@plano.gov