Our suggested plan is based upon promoting disaster preparedness activities, including training, and encouraging the formation of and participation in community based response teams. The objective of the plan is to use the human and material resources in our communities as weapons against the onslaught of both natural and manmade disasters. We also recommend making community disaster response more effective by having community members develop inventories of the personal skills and material resources available in their communities. By making each household in each town or community prepared, we will make the United States more resilient as a whole against disaster. 

There are many ways to get communities involved in beginning the education process. We suggest the following: 

• Promote involvement in coordinated community disaster response planning at such places as community gatherings, places of worship, street fairs, cultural events, and high school and college sporting events.

• Have firefighters stand at major intersections like when they do their “Fill the Boot” charity campaigns handing out literature related to disaster preparedness and receiving donations for more rescue equipment.

• Station volunteers at the entrances to retail businesses, such as grocery stores, to hand out literature and talk to people to educate them about the ways in which they can become prepared for disasters and encourage participation in the Citizen Corp.

• Have traveling training teams visit schools across the country beginning at the elementary school level. Just as students are taught what to do in the event of a fire, they could be educated as to how to prepare for other types of disasters and what they should do if a disaster occurs.  

• Dedicate one week out of every school year to disaster preparedness training; during that week students could receive age appropriate training on what to do and how to react when disaster strikes, as well as CPR and first-aid training.

We suggest that in all attempts to involve the populace in disaster response planning – whether they are public service campaigns or any other types of efforts – should be focused upon conveying information about the different private and public groups whose missions are to help in responding to disasters and how everyone can get involved in their area. 

While it is important for individuals to be prepared, an even greater difference can be made if people are brought together to pool their talents. The time that is takes to respond to a crisis can be diminished by having a greater number of people prepared and available to respond.

How do we start?

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) can initiate a National Community Disaster Awareness/Preparedness movement by providing information to the organizations that can best reach out into local communities and lead the way to educating people and getting volunteers trained by Citizen Corp. Examples include state and local governments, private organizations, and groups such as the Conference of Mayors and the National Governors Council.

Currently, the Citizen Corp provides disaster preparedness and response training to the public. Our suggestion is for the Citizen Corp to develop skill and resource inventories in communities throughout the country. Additionally, volunteers can be organized into teams with specialized assignments so that when disaster strikes, teams of people will be ready to provide a coordinated response. Otherwise, there will be situations where there are few experienced personnel capable of reacting to a crisis. 

Invitations to join the Citizen Corp and received disaster response training can be distributed at community events, schools, libraries, and other public locations and at business and via the media. Training can be held at local schools, town halls, fire departments, and other training facilities. Potential topic areas for training include first-aid/CPR, firefighting, and search and rescue training techniques.  

The training suggested above can be provided by the Citizen Corp and other appropriate organizations, such as localized law enforcement, fire/rescue departments, hospitals etc. Via localized community training and organizing, the country can become more resilient as a whole in the face of disaster.

 Steps to organize local communities could include:       

1.  Selecting a community disaster manger and assistant manager: In those areas where they are not already in place, people can volunteer for these positions or be voted in by their community. These individuals will be the key points of contact and coordination with authorized national, state, and local government representatives and representatives from private organizations operating at the time of disaster. The community disaster managers will oversee the formation of response teams in their areas with the teams organized into specializations, such as search and rescue, medical/first-aid, and security.

2.  Recruiting Community Representatives: Community representatives can be anyone who is willing to assist the community disaster manager in developing and executing a community disaster response. Their first task after receiving proper training through Citizen Corp or other specialized agencies will be to gather other neighbors to volunteer in assessing the personnel skills and material resources that are currently available in their neighborhoods. With this information, the community manager can then form search/rescue, medical/first-aid, security and other teams. 

3.  Inventorying community human and material resources: We suggest beginning with documenting the skill sets of the people residing in each neighborhood within the community that could be of use in the event of a disaster. Examples include medical, fire fighting, law enforcement, security, communications, food preparation/cooking, construction, carpentry, electrical services, and plumbing among others. Also, efforts should be undertaken to encourage members of the public to receive training in the skills that might be needed in case of disaster. Potential training providers include law enforcement agencies, fire departments, local health departments, the Citizen Corp, and the Red Cross. The objective would be to give as many people as possible roles that they will fulfill in the event of disaster.

An equipment, tools, and materials inventory would complement the human resources inventory. The inventory should include sources for food, water, and temporary housing. Additional examples of items that could be included and may be of use in disaster response include medical supplies; solar/wind power generators; alternate transportation options, such as horses, dirt bikes, ATV’s, or bicycles; and leverage machinery/tools, such as tractors, chainsaws, lifting straps/chains, hydraulic jacks, crowbars, axes, sledge hammers, shovels, and ladders. The inventory should include everything that may be useful in battling a disaster, saving lives, and then sustaining them. Locations where incoming relief supplies can be stockpiled should be documented and maintained by the community manager, as well as locations where relief helicopters could drop supplies and evacuate the wounded. It would be best to identify multiple locations because of the risk of one large stockpile or location being destroyed or becoming inaccessible. 

A sound plan will also include information as to methods of communication that can be employed in the event of a disaster. Consideration could be given to households obtaining inexpensive point-to-point radios available at most sporting goods and electronic stores. The community manager should create a matrix for designated channels. These radios are a good back up when primary forms of communication such as cell phone and landlines are not operational. Relay systems could be established to communicate over greater distances. FEMA should also consider allocation of long range radios or ham (shortwave) radios for individual communities to reach first responders.

Each community should individualize their implementation plan according to their size, resources, geographical location, and other elements inherent in the respective community. All plans should incorporate key elements that would be undertaken immediately following the incidence of a disaster, including search and rescues, medical/first aid support, and security. 

• Search and Rescue: Teams members composed of your neighbors should rendezvous in designated areas to initiate search and rescue activities. Once people in the immediate area of each team have been accounted for, teams can be redirected by the community manager to help other teams on neighboring streets or towns in need of additional resources. The community manager and his/her designated representatives will coordinate with authorized public and private resources if available, and will oversee all search and rescue situations, security matters, and calls for help.  

• Medical/First-Aid: Team members composed of neighbors who are doctors, nurses, medics, life guards and people with CPR and first aid training within the community will follow search and rescue teams in their sector and treat those needing medical assistance. Again, once the needs of those within the immediate area have been addressed, the community manager can redirect the medical teams to neighboring streets or towns where additional resources are needed. 

• Security: Security teams should consist of the most experienced personnel, including members of the military, law enforcement agencies, security guards, and those licensed to carry fire arms. All security team members should carry point-to-point radios and alert the community disaster manager’s designated representatives who in turn will notify appropriate agencies in the case of potential criminal activity.

In addition to the above mentioned activities, the federal, state, and local governments could provide tax incentives for those who purchase certain items to prepare in the event of a catastrophe. Examples include solar and wind powered items, specialized survival food with extended shelf life, and hand pump water wells. This is a win win situation. These incentives would encourage individuals to be more prepared and able to be more self sufficient in the event of a disaster.