E-update: November 1, 2006
In this issue:
- Fire Corps Launches New Listserv
- The Results Are In: Fire Corps Member Survey
- Join the Expert Network and Make Your Community Safer
- Need Funding for your Fire Corps Program?
- Update Your Profile
- Department Profile: Selma Fire Department
- Calendar of Events
Fire Corps Launches New Listserv
Fire Corps has launched Fire Corps Connection, a moderated listserv for getting and sharing information about Fire Corps programs across the nation. Fire Corps program coordinators, citizen volunteers, fire and emergency service representatives, and Citizen Corps Council members are all welcome to join this important new network. Use this forum to ask questions, get answers, and share ideas and experiences with Fire Corps. Click here to join today!
The Results Are In: Fire Corps Member Survey
In August, Fire Corps conducted its first survey of registered Fire Corps programs. The survey enabled the Fire Corps national office to collect important data on existing Fire Corps programs, such as how departments are using Fire Corps across the nation, what benefits departments have gained from having Fire Corps, and what barriers they have encountered in implementing the Fire Corps program.
Join the Expert Network and Make Your Community Safer
Fire Corps and the Home Safety Council are working together to ensure that our communities are safer, stronger, and better prepared. Join the Home Safety Council Expert Network today and access valuable tools that can be used by your Fire Corps team to share important fire and life safety messages with those you serve. Tools include four new fire safety programs that cross cater to all age levels, from preschoolers to senior citizens. These programs can be downloaded at www.homesafetycouncil.org/home/home_oct06_w001.aspx and used by your Fire Corps team to bring fire prevention and life safety education to local schools and senior centers in your community.
Need Funding for your Fire Corps Program?
Does your Fire Corps program need funding for supplies, uniforms, or activities such as public outreach or volunteer recruitment? If so, funding may be available through your local or state Citizen Corps Council. Each year, the Department of Homeland Security’s Citizen Corps program provides funding assistance to states to strengthen the collaboration between government and non-governmental entities—including the private sector, non-governmental organizations, faith-based organizations, and advocates for vulnerable populations—through Citizen Corps Councils to achieve more comprehensive all-hazards community preparedness. Citizen Corps Councils can use the funding for: emergency planning; training and exercises; disaster relief efforts; and providing education and volunteer opportunities to the general public, including supporting Citizen Corps initiatives such as Fire Corps, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS), and USAonwatch/Neighborhood Watch.
Update Your Profile
Has your Fire Corps program grown? Have you added volunteer opportunities, activities, or developed great new Fire Corps materials that other departments could benefit from? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, please go to www.firecorps.org to update your department profile. Remember, potential volunteers visit the Fire Corps website to look for opportunities in their area, departments look to see what others are doing, and the Fire Corps national office uses this information to develop success stories and to gather statistics for the Department of Homeland Security, Citizen Corps, and the White House. Update your program information today - it takes just a few minutes of your time!
Department Profile: Selma Fire Department
On October 14th, the Selma Fire Corps hosted S.A.F.E. Day at the Park where over 200 attendees enjoyed a fun-filled day of learning about fire prevention and life safety issues. S.A.F.E. members handed out packets of prevention information and operated the Selma Fire Safety House, where messages were focused on kitchen safety to coincide with the Fire Prevention Week theme, "Prevent cooking fires: Watch what you heat."
Calendar of Events
November 1, 2006
Citizen Corps Region IV Conference
Orlando, FL
Washington, DC
Indianapolis, IN
National Fire Academy
Emmitsburg, MD
Fire-Rescue International
Atlanta, GA



