National Fire Safety Week

Members of Fairfax County CERT were at FEMA Headquarters as part of the National Kickoff for Fire Safety Week.

Here is a video of the FEMA Administrator taken during the event:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/video/video.php?v=131960896854421

Also don't forget to check out the Citizen Corps Volunteers facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/citizencorps for additional tips.

Citizen Corps Releases New CERT Videos

Did you know that real CERT Volunteers were used in the recently released CERT videos?

Check out the videos filmed in the National Capital Region at:

http://citizencorps.gov/cert/videos/

And join the discussion with other volunteers on Facebook at:

http://www.facebook.com/citizencorps

Now Easier To Find on Facebook

Our page can now be found on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/citizencorps

Neighbors Helping Neighbors

Volunteers Sharing With Volunteers

Trailer Leads Way to Expand CERT Training

Pictured above, at the Capital Home Show, are Jack and Suzy Ledgerwood and Andrew Levy, Volunteer CERT instructors, during the public release of the Fairfax County CERT Trailer. The trailer was purchased with the assistance of a DHS grant.

With Fairfax County being over 400 square miles, the hands on CERT program had traditionally been taught at the Fire Academy, located in the north of the county. There had been requests to teach those living in South County. CERT 1 was created and enabled people to take the CERT course in South County, however, primarily classroom based. CERT 2, a hands on course could not be taught without getting the pallets, 2x4s, and other equipment to the training locations, in other parts of the county.

The CERT trailer will enable the hands on course to be taught in other parts of the county.

Additional information about the different levels of CERT courses (CERT 1, 2, and 3) can be found at www.fairfaxcert.org

Citizen Corps Volunteers - Get Your Voice Heard

Secretary Napolitano Launches Public Engagement Website

Release Date: February 8, 2010
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010

Web tool will increase transparency, collaboration as part of Open Government Initiative

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced the launch of a new online public engagement tool designed to solicit input from the public on ways to enhance transparency, participation, collaboration and innovation at the Department—part of President Obama's Open Government Directive.

"Creating an open, transparent, more efficient and effective government is one of our top priorities at the Department of Homeland Security," said Secretary Napolitano. "This new online tool allows the public to play a major part in our Department-wide efforts to enhance openness and accessibility."

The new online tool—available from Feb.6-March 19 at https://www.dhs.gov/open allows members of the public and interested stakeholders to submit ideas and suggestions on ways DHS can enhance transparency, participation, collaboration and innovation—while saving taxpayer money.

The ideas submitted will help guide the development of an official DHS Open Government plan.

On Dec. 8, 2009, President Obama issued the Open Government Directive to begin breaking down long-standing barriers between the federal government and the people it serves, and instructed agencies to take immediate, specific steps to open their doors and data to the American people. Agencies across the federal government will begin engaging the public through similar online tools this week.

For more information, visit www.dhs.gov/open
###

CERT (indirectly) Plays Role In Haiti Disaster Response

Neighbors Helping Neighbors thanks and wishes the Urban Search and Rescue Teams safe travels as they respond to the disaster in Haiti.

But where does the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) fit in?

Ever wonder where these teams train and where they find volunteer victims? Members of the local CERT, as pictured below, serve as volunteer victims, as these teams train for these types of emergencies.

Additional information can be found at: http://fairfaxcountycert.blogspot.com/2010/01/haitian-response.html

Other Citizen Corps programs, such as the American Red Cross, are also preparing to provide services for residents from Haiti as they arrive into the United States.

Join the New Citizen Corps Facebook Group

Joing the new Citizen Corps/Neighbors Helping Neighbors Group on Facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Citizen-Corps/244273467113?ref=mf

DHS Answering President Obama’s call to service

Release Date: June 19, 2009

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010

Answering President Obama’s call to service, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano will be joined by Deputy Secretary Jane Holl Lute and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate on Monday volunteering their time and efforts to promote service across the country. The President’s 81-day summer service initiative, United We Serve, challenges all citizens to get involved in their communities and start building a better future for the nation.

“Volunteerism strengthens a community’s capacity to meet challenges,” said DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano. “President Obama’s call for service—today and everyday—plays a critical role in our efforts to prepare and protect the nation.”

Secretary Napolitano will help jumpstart community readiness in Orlando, Fla., where she will work with local members of the FEMA Citizens Corps to help prepare their neighborhoods and communities for successful emergency response and recovery.

Deputy Secretary Lute will lead a citizenship class at the Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights (NMCIR) in New York, N.Y., where immigrants from around the world come to learn English, learn about America and prepare to become U.S. citizens.

Administrator Fugate will discuss the importance of service at a roundtable in Denver with Americans who have made President Obama’s challenge central to their daily lives, including firefighters as well as volunteers from FEMA’s Fire Corps and CERT programs—two entities that train people to assist and become first responders.

United We Serve will culminate with a National Day of Service and Remembrance on September 11, 2009. This milestone will provide an opportunity to recognize the summer’s accomplishments, honor those who died on September 11, 2001, and encourage Americans to make an ongoing commitment to service.

###

Ready Classroom - Next Phase of Preparedness

"The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Ad Council have joined with Discovery Education to announce Ready Classroom, an online educational program." (Source: FEMA.gov)

The complete announcement can be found at:

http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=47960

And the official website for Ready Classroom is:

http://readyclassroom.discoveryeducation.com/

Webcast to the American People - H1N1

For Immediate Release:

HHS Secretary Sebelius and DHS Secretary Napolitano will host a Webcast to answer questions from the American people regarding the H1N1 flu on Thursday at 1:00 PM EDT. They will be joined by Acting Director of CDC, Dr. Besser.

The Webcast can be viewed at www.hhs.gov and www.cdc.gov.

Questions Requested For Daily H1V1 Briefing

This morning a request went out for public questions for the daily H1V1 briefing. The following question and comment was sent to: hhsstudio@hhs.gov

"There are programs, such as the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) across the United States where volunteers can help if mass distribution is needed. Residents should be reassured that volunteers have been training with professionals for quite a few years. This is not to say that more trained volunteers are not needed.

What plans are in place for areas of the country that do not have a robust MRC or volunteer network, and areas where more volunteers are needed, including potentially leveraging volunteers from the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Red Cross, religious organizations, and other affiliated Citizen Corps programs?

As we learned from September 11, it is times like this when people see the need to act. However, with time, that need fades.

Thank you for keeping the public regularly updated.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors
http://citizencorps.blogspot.com"

According to article from MSNBC, U.S. declares state of emergency - Swine Flu

"The world’s governments raced to avoid both a pandemic and global hysteria Sunday as more possible swine flu cases surfaced from Canada to New Zealand and the United States declared a public health emergency. “It’s not a time to panic,” the White House said. " (Source: MSNBC)

A complete press briefing can be found at:

http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1240773850207.shtm

Homeland Security USA

If you have been so focused on inauguration the past few weeks, you may have missed ABC's newest show,

Homeland Security USA

Is this show any different from something you would see on TruTV?

Should the shows on TruTV be allowed, as it may "give anybody any ideas" as steford said on one of the message boards? Could the same not be said for video games, cable tv, and movies?

While the quality of the show is not what one may expect from a major network, the content provides a public understanding of a "day in the life" of someone working at DHS.

After all, it is about Neighbors Helping Neighbors. And Homeland Security USA helps us understand the jobs are neighbors in our community are doing to help protect us.

Please note, Homeland Security USA should not be consfused with D.H.S. The Series.

Are you Web 2.0 Ready? Ready.gov is!

You may have noticed a new "Homeland Security - I Am Ready" widget on the left frame of this blog. Besides the ability to add this to a blog, there are many of Web 2.0 technologies

"Ready Launches Social Media Tools to Encourage Preparedness
Fri, 16 Jan 2009 06:00:00 -0600

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Ready Campaign, in partnership with The Advertising Council, introduced a series of new social media tools on January 16, 2009 to further engage Americans in taking steps to prepare for emergencies."

www.ready.gov

The complete press release can be found at:

http://www.dhs.gov/xnews/releases/pr_1232126867101.shtm

We have noticed that a portion of the widget is cut off, and we have contacted Ready.gov to make them aware and to provide assistance in correcting this.

Flight Advisory National Special Security Event 2009 Presidential Inauguration

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) have issued the following Public Advisory for Inauguration.

"As a result of the planned 2009 Presidential Inauguration in Washington, DC on January 20, 2009, the FAA at the request of the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense as part of the airspace security measures will be modifying the Washington Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) and Washington Metropolitan Flight Restriction Zone (FRZ) with additional flight restrictions between the hours of 1000-1800 local."

The impacted zone is as follows:

For complete details and additional information on the advisory, please visit:

www.faa.gov/news/media/public_advisory_inauguration_2009.pdf

For additional advisories and Notice to Airmen (NOTAMs), please visit:

https://pilotweb.nas.faa.gov/distribution/atcscc.html

Ready to Resolve in 2009

Recently, we received an email from Ready.gov about their new campaign.

"As the New Year approaches, the Department of Homeland Security’s Ready Campaign is once again reminding people that Now’s the Time. Resolve to be Ready in 2009."

At the time of this posting, it was not easy to find additional details of this campaign on Ready.gov. The direct link can be found at http://www.ready.gov/america/about/resolve2009.html

Take a few minutes and check it out. And resolve to be ready!

From project manager to global citizen in a month

This past week, we have been featuring

emergency response, preparedness, and exercise

videos from Davao City, Philippines.

The complete story, featured on ibm.com, can be found at:

First IBM volunteers return home with stories

then, CSC in Philippines (complete story).

Preparing For The Worst Case Scenario - Island Garden City of Samal - Deep Water Search and Rescue Exercise

"The City Disaster and Coordinating Council (CDCC) of the Island Garden City of Samal staged Water Search and Rescue Drills last July 29, as a culminating activity in the observance of the National Disaster Preparedness Month.

The scenario -- Reacting to a report from barangay captain Rey A. Villaabrille of Catagman about a capsized rubber boat with about 10 passengers, Incident Commander Rene E. Ambrona immediately alerted members of the IGaCOS City Disaster Coordinating Council (CDCC) and called for a briefing to assess the incident and dispatch the group to the site for water search and rescue (WASAR) operations. As per report, the boat capsized within the vicinity of the municipal waters of barangays Catagman, Peñaplata, and San Jose at around 10 AM that day." (Source: samalcity.gov.ph)

Andrew Levy from the Corporate Service Corps and Neighbors Helping Neighbors was on hand to evaluate the exercise.

The complete article with details about the exercise can be found at: http://samalcity.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=338&Itemid=124

The following is video taking during the event.

This time it was only a drill.

For additional information, please email neighborshelpingneighbors@live.com.

Making Due With No Supplies

The following video is an annual event held in Davao City with a competition between the barangay responders. These volunteers are often

- self taught,
- self funded,
- self organized,

and make use of the limited resources they have on hand, at times without the support of their local barangay (town leadership).

Not only have all of them responded to emergencies in their communities, they also know how to have fun.

It was an honor to get to know these dedicated volunteers and true heroes. They are role models for others around the world.



Additional information about this competition can be found in an earlier posting at Competition Brings People Closer.

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month

Did you know October is DHS's National Cybersecurity Awareness Month?

Ever wonder how secure your information is? Credit Cards, banking, health information.

Checkout the following video from someone who is "doing time".