News Releases for January 2003
January 15, 2003
Contact: Jane Horien, Director
Office of the First Lady, (701) 328-1010, or
Connie Sprynczynatyk, Executive Director
North Dakota League of Cities, (701) 223-3518
Governor Hoeven Announces North Dakota Citizen Corps Council; First Lady To Serve As Chair
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training
BISMARCK, N.D. - Gov. John Hoeven and Doug Friez, Director of the Division of Emergency Management announced today the formation of the North Dakota Citizen Corps Council. First Lady Mikey L. Hoeven will chair the council and oversee 14 charter members in the creation of local volunteer Community Citizen Corps Councils.
North Dakota is among 41 states that have initiated a Citizen Corps Council. “North Dakota is proud to be a member of this initiative to promote citizen preparedness and citizen involvement in homeland security efforts,” Gov. Hoeven said. “Through our work to support Citizen Corps, we can help our communities be better prepared to respond to disasters of all kinds.”
The cornerstone of the program will be establishing local Citizen Corps Councils. They will implement Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) that will help respond to major community emergencies. The CERT program will build community based volunteer forces that can supplement local emergency and disaster response capabilities. The purpose of the CERT teams is to create neighborhood teams of citizens who can greatly improve survival chances by initiating and implementing learned disaster and rescue skills until emergency personnel can arrive.
“In the event of a major disaster or attack we want to provide training so people can be self-sufficient for up to 72 hours,” Mrs. Hoeven said. “If there were a catastrophic disaster it could be days before first-responders could get to certain areas. We want to train neighborhood teams to prepare for disasters, turn off utilities, administer basic first aid, prevent or suppress fires and conduct light search and rescue activities.”
The Citizen Corps Council will bring together leaders from first responder groups, emergency management agencies, volunteer service organizations, state and local governments, tribal governments and the private sector to engage citizens in homeland security and promote community and family safety practices across the state. The leadership of these organizations and their colleagues at the state and local levels will collaborate to create local Citizen Corps Councils and to advance the mission of Citizen Corps.
Funding for this initiative was provided by a $185,159 Federal grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and administered by the North Dakota Division of Emergency Management.
The North Dakota League of Cities will coordinate the North Dakota Citizen Corps training program. The initial concentration of the program will be establishing local Citizen Corps Councils. Once these councils are launched and needs identified, training will begin.
CERT training will focus on train-the-trainer courses. After CERT instructors are identified and trained, actual CERT courses will be conducted at the community level by representatives of local public safety agencies, hospitals and volunteer organizations.
“We will be building a network of local Citizen Corps Councils that will organize and support the neighborhood and community programs that are a part of this new corps,” Mrs. Hoeven said. “The N.D. League of Cities and the N.D. Division of Emergency Management will coordinate this effort.”
Citizen Corps Councils are integral to building Citizen Corps programs within each community by arranging necessary training and providing information for public education and awareness efforts. Councils can include leaders from emergency management, law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services, businesses, volunteer and faith-based organizations, and other relevant groups such as schools, places of worship, health care institutions, and the transportation sector.
Citizen Corps’ mission is to make communities safer, stronger and better prepared to respond to threats of terrorism, crime, public health issues, and disasters of all kinds by engaging individuals in emergency preparedness and response through education, training, and volunteer service.
“We are confident that people from North Dakota’s communities will be eager to undertake this new responsibility,” said Doug Friez, Director of the Division of Emergency Management. “Already, United Tribes Technical College, Bismarck, is assisting North Dakota Indian Tribes in establishing citizen corps councils and providing the means to carry out CERT training. This initiative has as its core the preparedness mission that is at the heart of our Citizen Corps program.”
A website has been initiated to provide more information on the program. In addition, individuals interested in forming a Citizen Corps Council in their community may also register on-line at this Web address: www.ndlc.org or call the League of Cities at 701-223-3518.
North Dakota Citizen Corps Council Partners
- Cheryl Kulas - N.D. Indian Affairs Commission
- Cornelius Grant - N.D. Rural Development Commission
- Chuck Dahl - N.D. Police Chiefs Association
- Pete O’Neill - N.D. Fire Chiefs Association
- Ray Lambert - State Fire Marshal
- Lois Hartman - N.D. Firefighters Association
- Bruce Levi - N.D. Medical Association
- JoAnn Ozbun - N.D. Emergency Management Association
- Mark Johnson - N.D. Association of Counties
- Ralph Mowder - N.D. Peace Officers Association
- Linda Engelman - N.D. National Guard Family Readiness Program
- Keith Engbrecht - Voluntary Organizations Active In Disaster
- Mark Webber - N.D. EMS Association
- Terry Volk - 911 Association of N.D.
North Dakota Citizen Corps Council Advisors
- Roger Bailey - N.D. Newspaper Association
- Marv Erhardt - N.D. LEAD Center
- Beth Helfrich - N.D. Broadcasters Association
- Brandon Herda - N.D. Safety Council
- Ken Jarolimek - N.D. Division of Emergency Management
- Barbara Schmitt - United Tribes Technical College
- Steve Spilde - N.D. Insurance Reserve Fund
- Tim Wiedrich - Bioterrorism Coordinator, N.D. Dept. of Health
E-mail comments to the Governor
