Apply Now for 2016 FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness Awards

DENTON, Texas – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is accepting applications for the 2016 Individual and Community Preparedness Awards through March 28.

The awards highlight innovative local practices and achievements by recognizing individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions toward making their communities safer, stronger, better prepared and more resilient.

Emergency management is most effective when the entire community is engaged and involved. Everyone, including faith-based organizations, voluntary agencies, the private sector, tribal organizations, youth, people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs, and older adults can make a difference in their communities before, during, and after disasters.

FEMA will review all entries and select the finalists. A panel of representatives from the emergency management community will then select winners in each of the following categories:

  • Outstanding Citizen Corps Council 

  • Community Preparedness Champions

  • Awareness to Action

  • Technological Innovation

  • Outstanding Achievement in Youth Preparedness

  • Preparing the Whole Community

  • Outstanding Inclusive Initiatives in Emergency Management (new category)

  • Outstanding Private Sector Initiatives (new category)

  • Outstanding Community Emergency Response Team Initiatives

  • Outstanding Citizen Corps Partner Program

  • America’s PrepareAthon! in Action (new category)

To be considered for this year’s awards, all submissions must be received by March 28, 2016, at 11:59 p.m. EDT, and must feature program activities taking place between January 1, 2015, and March 28, 2016. Applications should be submitted to citizencorps@fema.dhs.gov. Winners will be announced in the fall of 2016 and will be invited as FEMA’s honored guests at a recognition ceremony.

More information about the awards is available at ready.gov/preparedness-awards.                       

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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. Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/femaregion6 , and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov. 

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Apply Now for 2016 FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness Awards

Mart High School Teen Group Receives 2015 FEMA Community Preparedness Honorable Mention Awards

DENTON, Texas – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has recognized the members of the Mart High School Teen Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) for their accomplishments in responding to and preparing their community for emergencies. The group received honorable mentions in two categories of the 2015 FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness Awards: Outstanding Achievement in Youth Preparedness and Outstanding Community Emergency Response Team.

Among the group’s accomplishments:

  • The Mart High School Teen CERT program has certified 20 students in disaster preparedness and advanced medical training.

  • The team assists with fire and weather drills conducted at the school.

  • The Mart High School Teen Cert team is part of the city’s emergency disaster plan.

  • The team trains with paramedics from Limestone Medical Center and facilitates the group providing career information for high school students.

  • Certified students are able to assist in emergencies before nearby Emergency Medical Services arrive.

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 recognition and awards as well:

  • Arlington (Texas) Christian Disaster Networks received an honorable mention in the category of Excellence in Volunteer Sustainability.

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

  • 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. 

Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/femaregion6 and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov.                                                       

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Mart High School Teen Group Receives 2015 FEMA Community Preparedness Honorable Mention Awards

You Can Be a Local Hero

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Preparing a community for an emergency or disaster can be a daunting task; there are so many people, each with unique needs, and so many aspects that need to be addressed.  If such a monumental task is left to just one group of people such as local officials, it’s sure to remain just that, monumental.  When the Whole Community comes together to provide input, complete tasks, and take responsibility though, it becomes a very manageable undertaking.  Pitching in to help your community prepare for the next disaster has a very large impact, the kind that can make you a local hero.

“Too often we rely upon local officials and first responders to prepare for and respond to a disaster;” said Regional Administrator MaryAnn Tierney, “there are so many ways that everyone can come together and make their community more resilient.”

Citizen Corps brings together the power of individuals 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.  Citizen Corps has many councils throughout the country at the state and local level, and you can find your nearest council for more information or to sign up at ready.gov/citizen-corps/find-your-nearest-council.

Citizen Corps has many affiliates that offer communities resources for public education, outreach, and training; represent volunteers interested in helping to make their community safer; or offer volunteer service opportunities to support first responders, disaster relief activities, and community safety efforts. Visit ready.gov/citizen-corps-affiliate-programs for more information on Citizen Corps’ affiliates.

In addition to their affiliates, Citizen Corps also has partner programs which give citizens the opportunity get involved. Citizen Corps’ federally sponsored partner programs help build capacity for first responders through the use of volunteers.  These programs can be very specific in what they support, such as the Fire Corps which supports fire departments, the Medical Reserve Corps which supports medical needs, and the Volunteers in Police Service which supports law enforcement; or they are more broad in their service, such as the Community Emergency Response Teams or the Corporation for National and Community Service. More information on Citizen Corps’ partners is available at ready.gov/citizen-corps-partner-programs.

There are many community and faith-based organizations that support communities before, during, and after a disaster.  Whatever your level of interest, your skill set, or your time, there is a program out there that you can join to support your community.  Reach out to organizations that you are already involved in and see what they’re doing or talk to your local officials for ideas.

However you choose to get involved with your community and prepare for the next disaster, know that your work makes a difference to everyone, but for you it can be the difference between being a resident and being a local hero.

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. FEMA Region III’s jurisdiction includes Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.  Stay informed of FEMA’s activities online: videos and podcasts available at fema.gov/medialibrary and youtube.com/fema.   Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/femaregion3.

 

Media Inquiries

FEMAR3NewsDesk@fema.dhs.gov     215-931-5597

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You Can Be a Local Hero

2013 National Preparedness Month

WHAT: As part of National Preparedness Month this September, free online tools from the Ready Campaign and Citizen Corps are available to encourage households, businesses and communities to know their risk, make an emergency preparedness plan and inspire others to do the same.

Fact Sheets

Fact sheets for business owners, seniors, pet owners and people with access and functional needs are available for download on the FEMA Sandy New York webpage (www.fema.gov/SandyNY). Click on the “Updates and Articles” link to access the fact sheets.

Banners

Various banners and other Web images are available for download on the FEMA Sandy New York Web page (www.fema.gov/SandyNY), including a helpful tenth anniversary infographic for the Ready Campaign. Include the site http://community.fema.gov/connect.ti/READYNPM as a link to the images. The site encourages community involvement and provides toolkits and other resources for emergency preparedness.

Widget

The National Preparedness Community widget allows you to share preparedness information directly with your website visitors. Include the following code on your website:

Social Media

Promote emergency preparedness through your own social media channels or with messages posted on www.fema.gov/SandyNY, twitter.com/FEMASandy and facebook.com/FEMASandy.

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2013 National Preparedness Month

FEMA Announces 2012 Individual and Community Preparedness Award Winners

WASHINGTON – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today announced the recipients of the 2012 Individual and Community Preparedness Awards. These Awards recognize the innovative practices and achievements of individuals, Citizen Corps Councils, and non-profit, faith-based, and private sector organizations working throughout the nation to make our communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to manage any disaster or emergency event.

“It has been shown time and time again that after a disaster, the very first responders are our neighbors,” said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. “The award recipients promote preparedness across America’s communities – the bedrock of our national resiliency. I commend each and every one of the awardees for their service and innovation. They serve as a model for communities everywhere.”

Each applicant demonstrated their ability to engage the Whole Community through partnerships, achievements, and activities that took place from January 2011 to June 2012. For example, the American Red Cross Gateway to the Golden State Region chapter trained more than 16,000 individuals in lifesaving skills, such as disaster preparedness, CPR, and basic first aid, and developed a cadre of more than 200 bilingual volunteers.  The Texas State Citizen Corps Program trained Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteers who were integrated into the response to the Bastrop Complex Fire last fall and North Texas tornadoes earlier this year.

Other awardees participated in emergency planning activities and established creative methods to address the needs of their communities. For example, North Dakota State University developed two Smartphone applications, one to address the needs of individuals and families affected by local flooding and one with information for residents stranded during a winter storm.

The Second Annual John D. Solomon Preparedness Award is being  presented to Florida’s Be Ready Alliance Coordinating for Emergencies (BRACE)  for collaborative work as a team of nearly 500 disaster preparedness and response organizations, engaging in efforts that reach the business community, children and youth, under-served populations, faith-based organizations, first responders, and individuals with access and functional needs, and more. The John D. Solomon Preparedness Award is named for the late creator of the groundbreaking blog, In Case of Emergency, Read Blog: A Citizen’s Eye View Of Public Preparedness. John’s body of work was striking in its reporting, analysis, engagement and impact, in preparing the public, informing professionals, and effecting change in the public and private sectors. Administrator Fugate once stated that he “set the standard for what it meant to be part of our nation’s emergency management team.”

All winners will be invited, as FEMA’s honored guests, to a community roundtable event in Washington, D.C. During the roundtable the honorees will share their innovative and successful approaches to community preparedness with emergency management leadership.

FEMA congratulates the following awardees:

Outstanding State Citizen Corps Council Initiatives

  • Texas Citizen Corps (TX)

Outstanding Local Citizen Corps Council Initiatives

  • New York City Citizen Corps Council (NY)

Outstanding Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Initiatives

  • CERT Program and Volunteers, City of Newport Beach (CA)

Outstanding Achievement in Youth Preparedness

  • Chinatown Community Development Center (CA)

Preparing the Whole Community

  • American Red Cross Gateway to the Golden State (CA)

Promising Partnerships

  • Partners in Preparedness (NY)

Awareness to Action

  • American Red Cross of the Poconos (PA)

Innovative Use of Technology

  • North Dakota State University Agriculture Communication (ND)

Volunteer Integration

  • West Pierce County Fire and Rescue CERT Program (WA)

Community Preparedness Heroes

  • Michael Parker (CA)
  • Mohamed Ali (WA)
  • Scott Ellis (NJ)

Second Annual Recipient of the John D. Solomon Preparedness Award

  • Be Ready Alliance Coordinating for Emergencies (BRACE) (FL)

The award winners were selected by a panel of leaders representing the Whole Community, including the National Emergency Management Association, the International Association of Emergency Managers, Target, the American Red Cross and FEMA. 

For a description of the award categories, please see the Application Guide.

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.

Originally posted here – 

FEMA Announces 2012 Individual and Community Preparedness Award Winners