Arlington Group Receives 2015 FEMA Community Preparedness Honorable Mention Award

DENTON, Texas – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has recognized the Arlington Christian Disaster Network’s accomplishments in coordinating preparedness and emergency response efforts. The group received an honorable mention for Excellence in Volunteer Sustainability in the 2015 FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness Awards.

FEMA Region 6 Administrator Tony Robinson and Region 6 Federal Preparedness Coordinator Randy Meshell presented the award during a recent ceremony at the Arlington Emergency Operations Center.

“Arlington Christian Disaster Network has utilized key partnerships to offer volunteer reception, shelters and emergency preparedness support in countless ways that will benefit Arlington citizens and visitors for years to come,” Robinson said. “I applaud the efforts of both the Arlington Office of Emergency Management and the Arlington Christian Disaster Network for coming together to address the need to coordinate the preparedness and emergency response efforts in your community.”

Among the group’s accomplishments:

• Bringing together 17 local faith-based organizations to coordinate resources to serve the Arlington community.

• Recruiting members and managing the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training program.

• Responsible for an additional 55 trained individuals to complement the Arlington CERT program.

• Providing CERT train-the-trainers and instructors to Arlington Office of Emergency Management.

Each year FEMA’s Individual and Community Preparedness Division recognizes the preparedness efforts of organizations around the country. This year, 138 organizations applied for recognition. There were 11 award winners and 37 honorable mentions.

The categories are:  

• Outstanding Citizen Corps Council Award

• Community Preparedness Heroes

• Awareness to Action 

• Technological Innovation

• Outstanding Achievement in Youth Preparedness

• Preparing the Whole Community

• Outstanding Community Emergency Response Team Initiatives

• Outstanding Citizen Corps Partner Program

• Excellence in Volunteer Sustainability

Several other groups in Texas and Louisiana received awards and recognition as well:

• New Orleans Medical Reserve Corps won the award for Outstanding Citizen Corps Program.

• Mart High School Teen CERT, near Waco, Texas, received two honorable mentions: Outstanding Achievement in Youth Preparedness and Outstanding Community Emergency Response Team Initiative.

• The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana received an honorable mention in the category of Technological Innovations.

Visit www.ready.gov/citizen-corps/citizen-corps-awards for more information on this year’s award recipients and honorable mentions.

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FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards. 

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