Keeping Volunteers Motivated

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Effective Community Outreach Strategies.
Suzanne R. Simmons 4-23-08
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Primary source for preparedness information in
the Commonwealth
Ready Virginia has three core messages
Get a Kit Make a Plan Stay Informed
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Virginia Citizen Corps gets Virginia citizens
directly involved in homeland security and
emergency preparedness.


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• The program allows
• residents to help their
• community by
• volunteering their time,
• energy and skills to
• Emergency preparedness
• and response activities.

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• York Countys Disaster Ready Neighborhood
  Programs emphasize Safe neighborhoods
• Arlingtons Citizen Corps Council was
  instrumental in a pilot regional Outdoor
  Emergency Warning System
• To help prepare the local business community for
  disasters, James City County Citizen Corps
  sponsors an annual one-day Regional Business
  Preparedness Seminar
• Pittsylvania Countys Adopt a Senior Program
  partners CERT with Senior Citizens
• Wise County partnered with Virginia Relay to
  train the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community in
  Emergency Preparedness

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Virginia Prepares Citizens for Disasters.
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• CERT and MRC programs across the state are
  implementing Animal in Disaster programs.
• When the Dan River flooded in 2007, Danville City
  CERT teams assisted with shelter operations and
  other emergency management missions.
• In early March 2006 when over 200 acres burned in
  Gloucester County, county CERT teams helped with
  spontaneous volunteers, directed traffic and
  provided rehab services for firefighters.

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• More than 400 citizens participated in Richmond
  Citys 2nd Survivor Day training session.
  Participants complete a 4-hour training session,
  receive a family survivor kit and gain a better
  understanding of what to do when everything goes
  wrong.
• Last weekends regional CERTEX exercise included
  groups from the cities of Portsmouth, Virginia
  Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Hampton
  Williamsburg and the counties of York
  Gloucester.

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• Page County offers Youth C.E.R.T. to county Cub
  Scouts ages 7 to 11 years old. Sessions include
  Family Disaster Plans, Community Preparedness,
  Dealing with Disasters and Terrorism (Do
  Something!), Fire Safety First Aid Tools and
  Weather Emergencies.
• Roanoke Valley Citizen Corps first trained 80
  Craig County Middle School students in CERT, CPR
  and First Aid during 2006, and now Roanoke City
  Schools are offering CERT training for all of
  their 9th graders.
• The City of Colonial Heights offers CERT training
  to its high school EMT students.
• Virginias Teen Campus CERT Programs began in
  2007. Two Train-the-Trainer sessions were offered
  to select trainers from across the state.

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• Portsmouth trained its school personnel in CERT
  first. In August school personnel will train
  their ROTC instructors, who will then teach CERT
  as part of this years student ROTC curriculum.
• 51 high school students (grades 10-12) are in
  Sussex Countys brand new in-school CERT program.
  Taught during school hours sessions, the program
  won over all of those involved and will be
  offered again next year. Graduation is May 5!

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• Pittsylvania Countys CERT program began in 2003
  in its then brand new middle schools. Teachers
  took the course for credit and now one Middle
  School group of teachers started the countys
  pilot Teen CERT program. A private sector company
  has offered 7,000 to be used in the further
  delivery of the program.
• Danville graduated its first Campus CERT group in
  2007 just in time to assist with a possible
  shooter threat on campus.

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Questions?


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Suzanne Simmons Volunteer Coordination Program
ManagerVDEMVirginia Citizen Corpssuzanne.simmon
s_at_vdem.virginia.gov(804) 897-6518