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A National Charter for Hometown Security Karen Marsh Speaker biography | Panel agenda Summary
Ms. Marsh, Program Director for the Citizen Corps, discussed the history, mission, and practical achievements of this program. Citizens Corps was launched by President Bush in his 2002 State of the Union Address, and it is currently administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The principal initiative is to engage citizens at the grassroots level to make the country a safer place. The program has always had an all-hazards perspective, readying for a range of events including terrorism, natural disasters, and technological hazards. The program's infrastructure consists primarily of city- and county-level Citizen Corps Councils. Two thousand councils currently serve 72% of the country. Marsh explained that the federal government does not dictate council membership; it leaves communities to organize as they see fit, depending on their own populations, geography, and hazards. Each council includes representation from the government, first responders, and civic leadership. This last category can include faith-based organizations, schools, transportation, critical infrastructure, media, and minority and special needs advocacy groups. The council serves as a mechanism for the local level to conduct strategic planning, reach out to the community, engage and inform citizens, and involve people in training exercises and volunteer programs. Marsh admits that the infrastructure needs further development. Importantly, they are trying to achieve a cultural shift, first to break the paternalistic perspective of the government and reach out to the community to gain input from people such as civic leaders, private sector executives, and faith based leaders, and second to instill a general realization that we all have a responsibility to become informed and involved. Funding for the program has had a checkered history, and has decreased in recent years. The Corps has five volunteer programs that link citizens and disciplines: 1) the Fire Corps supports the fire service community, 2) Volunteers in Police Service and Neighborhood Watch serve as a liaison to law enforcement, 3) Community Emergency Response Teams provide a 24-hour hands-on instructional courses for citizens to support emergency response and management, and 4) the Medical Reserve Corps enlists both medical professionals who want to volunteer their time and laypeople who are interested in public health issues. Marsh also commented upon relevant, broader developments within the DHS. Homeland Security Presidential Directive 8 (HSPD8) specifically directs DHS to create a national preparedness strategy that includes 37 target capabilities, one of which is community preparedness with an emphasis on citizen education. HSPD8 specifies volunteer functions that are needed to create surge capacity in a public health emergency. DHS has also examined the disaster plans throughout the nation, and is releasing an updated plan that includes recommendations on citizen engagement and education as well as alert systems and evacuations, mass-care, and resource management. A noteworthy success for the program was the role of the Harris County Citizens Corps in managing 60,000 volunteers to help set-up a "mini-city" at the Houston Astrodome to host 65,000 evacuees. In conclusion, Marsh stated that DHS is committed to involving the public in all-hazards national preparedness, and the agency recognizes a need to pay increased attention to vulnerable populations in planning for and responding to a disaster. Summary by Christiana Usenza |
