CORRECTION: CPAW announces Winter Meeting date

The CPAW (Crime Prevention Area Watch) of New Castle County, DE Winter Meeting will be held Monday January 25, 2010 at the Brookside Community Center located at 900 Marrows Road across from the Brookside Baseball Field and next to the Brookside Elementary School. The start time will be 7:00 PM.

Please notice the change in the day of the meeting. We usually have our meetings on Monday nights but with Monday January 18, 2010 being a holiday we have scheduled this meeting.

Again, as in the past winter months, if there is inclement weather you will be notified via e-mail by 3:00 PM on Monday January 25, 2010 of any changes.

The 2010 Spring Meeting will held in May 2010 with a date to be determined.

Rob Blansfield
Bill Wheatley

Last week's CERT class was a great success

Last week's Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training was a great success. Thirty-three members of the New Castle County community came to the Public Safety Building and were trained in the CERT curriculum, including disaster preparedness, terrorism awareness, small fire suppression (picture at left) and American Heart Association CPR/AED.

Congrats and thanks to our new CERT members for all their participation and energy. For further online training in search and rescue, visit https://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/SandR/introduction.htm and we'll be in touch.

If you missed this CERT class, check out http://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/about.shtm for more information about CERT and contact Jessi Schimmel at 302-395-2700 or jschimmel@nccde.org to be put on our interest list to receive notification of our next class.

Disaster Assessment Team announced!

New Castle County Citizen Corps announces that it is proudly sponsoring a Disaster Assessment Team in conjunction with the American Red Cross of the Delmarva Peninsula.

If you would like to provide concrete help to your community during an emergency, consider joining the Disaster Assessment Team. You’ll help emergency personnel assess damage and prioritize need on the ground in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. These assessments are essential to begin relief and recovery!

In order to join the team, you must first be registered as a Red Cross volunteer. (Visit http://www.redcrossdelmarva.org/volunteer.htm for more information. Scroll to the bottom of the page under “Becoming a Red Cross Disaster Volunteer.”)

Who: Anyone interested in serving as part of the first line of response to help in their community.

What: An opportunity to make a difference by helping to survey damage caused by a natural or man-made disaster which speeds the relief effort.

Where and when: Red Cross training online, Disaster Assessment training TBA based on interest. You must also complete the Red Cross’s “Fulfilling Our Mission” class as part of becoming a volunteer.

How to sign up: Email mailto:citizencorps@nccde.org for more explicit instructions or call Jessi Schimmel at (302) 395-2709.

Intl. Volunteer Day is Dec. 5, get involved!

International Volunteer Day is Saturday, December 5 this year. There are lots of ways you can get involved by volunteering in our community through the New Castle County Citizen Corps.

Are you interested in joining our Disaster Assessment Team to work with emergency personnel assessing structural and community security in the immediate aftermath of a disaster?

Would you like to know more about how to help your neighbors before first responders can get to an incident scene? Join our CERT team.

Become a first responder by joining your local volunteer fire company.

There are many more ways to get involved, check out the right-hand sidebar listing Citizen Corps Partners and the links to their web sites.

Contact Jessi Schimmel at 302-395-2700 or jschimmel@nccde.org if you'd like to get involved or with any questions.

December 2009 Citizen Corps Council agenda announced

New Castle County Citizen Corps Council
December 18, 2009 Agenda

• Welcome and introductions

• Review and approval of November 2009 meeting minutes

• NCC Citizen Corps update
o December CERT class December 10 and 11
o Red Cross Damage Assessment

• Discussion about the Delaware Medical Reserve Corps and the State Emergency Registry of Volunteers (SERVDE) by Nicole Desmarais

• Open group discussion

• Set action items and agenda for next meeting

• Adjourn

November 2009 Citizen Corps Council meeting minutes

New Castle County Citizen Corps Council
November 4, 2009 Agenda
Posted at http://ncccitizencorps.blogspot.com/

• Welcome and introductions
Those in attendance (in order of sign in): Richard Jester CPAW, Marissa Favata ESC/NCCOEM, Jessi Schimmel ESC/NCCOEM, Elizabeth Lee Roberts CPAW, Shirley Pierce CPAW, Linda Seltzer CPAW, Bobbie Merrill ACP, Bill Wheatley CPAW, Michele Tiberi Jenkins Whethersfield Block Watch, Brian Bannon NCCOEM, Lt. Gerry Donovan NCC Police, Dave Carpenter Jr. NCCOEM, Robbie McCray NCC Communication Corps.

• Review and approval of July 2009 meeting minutes
o Approved as presented

• NCC Citizen Corps update
o December CERT class December 10 and 11
o FY 2008 funding status, FY 2007 expenditures
• FY 2008 award has been received for $20,000. This money will be available in early 2010
• FY 2007 funds $8,000 are nearly exhausted

o Red Cross Damage Assessment – The New Castle County Citizen Corps has partnered with the American Red Cross Delmarva Chapter to offer a Disaster Assessment Team (DAT) training program. This is an opportunity for a series of training classes with the goal of creating a deployable team to assess damage in New Castle County in a time of disaster. For more information go to:
o http://ncccitizencorps.blogspot.com/2009/10/disaster-assessment-team-announced.html

• Discussion about services for the hearing impaired
o State preparedness video with subtitles (closed captioning) – Bob George from DEMA advised that he can provide this on disc to interested parties.
• Bob discussed the need for a coordinated media kit to kickoff an initiative to reach out to those with disabilities.
• The group discussed the need to coordinate and leverage existing programs, services, and systems in this outreach campaign.
• The state Disabilities Council was identified as a likely partner to assist with this effort.

o Bill Wheatley from CPAW provided the group with information about hearing disabilities and the group discussed targeting a preparedness message to people with all types of disabilities. The information presented by Mr. Wheatley can be found here:
Transportation Security Administration
• http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/specialneeds/editorial_1380.shtm
Hearing Loss Association of Delaware:
• http://www.hlade.org/emergency-kit.htm
NOAA Weather Radio Information for those with Hearing Difficulties:
• http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/users/wood/public_html/NWR/spc-nds-nwr.html
Delmarva Power Emergency Medical Equipment Notification Program
• http://www.delmarva.com/home/requests/special/

• Discussion about public notification and warning
o Brian Bannon discussed the procedures used by the County to notify the public of protective actions (shelter in place or evacuate).
o The Delaware Emergency Notification System (DENS) was discussed. DENS is a computerized phone, voice notification system. DENS captures the entire E-911 database, including unlisted numbers. DENS does not have cell phones unless/until the user registers at the DENS website: https://alertregistration.com/dema/
o The County has a similar, redundant system called Reverse 911. Reverse 911 notifications do not currently include unlisted numbers in the database.
o Bob George discussed the possibility of using Nixle, a free internet based notification system. The State is currently investigating this system.

• Open group discussion
o Welcome to Bobbie Merrill from the First State Association of Contingency Planners (ACP). The Citizen Corps Council has extended an invitation to the First State ACP to join our group. This would offer an opportunity for Citizen Corps to partner with private sector businesses in New Castle County.

o There was a discussion about the Child Care Provider emergency planning outreach and training initiative conducted by DEMA, Delaware Citizen Corps, the Office of Child Care Licensing, New Castle County OEM, and Retired Senior Volunteer Program. This program is in the pilot phase and will be rolled out throughout the winter and into 2010.

o VIPS
• Lt. Donovan from the NCC Police advised that there are two new VIPS volunteers assigned to clerical and administrative support duties for the County Police. They are assigned to Research and development, Criminal Investigations, and Community Services.

o Communication Corps
• Robbie McCray advised that Communication Corps is in need of outreach and promotional materials to recruit members and increase awareness. Citizen Corps funds will be directed to this need.
• There will be an Amateur radio course in 2010. This course is a 4-day commitment of time. Successful completion will allow the attendee to be FCC licensed to use amateur radio equipment.
• New Castle County Communication Corps is an umbrella organization operating under the umbrella of New Castle County Citizen Corps. For details go to: http://ncccommcorps.blogspot.com/
• Robbie McCray offered an overview of the mobile communications vehicle, MCU37. Details about the capabilities of this vehicle can be found here: http://www.armymars.net/ArmyMARS/MCU/index.html

o CPAW - for details check out: http://www.cpawde.org/
• Bill Wheatley advised that CPAW continues to patrol communities in coordination and cooperation with the County and State police.
• CPAW is working on enhanced patrols of the parks
• CPAW is raising funds for the County Police Mounted Patrol Unit
• CPAW volunteers have received their T-shirts purchased with Citizen Corps funds, with the New Castle County Citizen Corps logo on the sleeve.

o Delaware Citizen Corps
• Bob George reminded everyone to forward information on activities and accomplishments to the New Castle County Office of Emergency Management so that they can be included in the Delaware Citizen Corps report to the Federal Government.

• Set action items and agenda for next meeting
o The next meeting will be at Delaware Technical & Community College, Stanton Campus on December 18th at 10:00 am. Everyone is asked to check in at the security desk for the exact location.

• Adjourn

CPAW web site updated

The Crime Prevention Area Watch (CPAW) group for New Castle, DE has updated their web site with new newsletters about their recent activity. Check it out at http://www.cpawde.org/.

CERT agenda announced

The agenda for December's CERT class has been announced. The class has reached capacity, but we are still taking names for the wait list. Please call the New Castle County Office of Emergency Management at 302-395-2700 if you would like to sign up!

Day 1 – December 10*
8:15 am – 8:40 am Registration / continental breakfast
8:40 am – 9:20 am CERT Introduction
9:30 am – 10:20 am Disaster preparedness / Animals in disaster
10:30 am – 11:20 am Terrorism
11:20 am – 11:30 am CERT bags issued
11:30 am – 12:00 pm Fire suppression classroom
12:00 pm – 12:30 pm Lunch / review and questions
12:30 pm – 1:20 pm Fire suppression practical
1:40 pm – 2: 30 pm Disaster psychology
2:40 pm – 3:30 pm Shelter in place

Day 2 – December 11*
08:30 am – 12:00 pm Medical assessment and operations, CPR/AED
12:00 pm – 12:30 pm Lunch/review questions
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm Finish CPR/AED
1:40 pm – 3:20 pm Search and rescue cribbing, practical exercises
3:20 pm – 3:30 pm Wrap up certificates issued

* Subject to change.

Delaware Citizen Corps wins two national awards

Delaware Citizen Corps received the 2009 FEMA Region III Making A Difference Award for its innovative partnerships and collaborations initiated as part of NPM this year. Among various other initiatives, Delaware and Wilmington Citizen Corps partnered with the Blue Rocks Professional Baseball Organization to spread preparedness messages throughout the entire baseball season, reaching at least 274,500 residents with preparedness messaging. The Delaware Emergency Management Agency and its Citizen Corps program also supported Delaware Child Care Provider Workshops (designed and provided by a volunteer) to assist providers in small and in-home facilities in writing and implementing emergency plans. In addition, collaboration between Delaware Citizen Corps and the Delaware State Police resulted in the expansion of a public notification system for preparedness messaging. Finally, Delaware Citizen Corps has partnered with the DuPont Corporation (the largest employer in the state) to provide a series of Disaster Preparedness presentations to their organization.

Delaware also received the 2009 FEMA Region III Outstanding Outreach Award. Throughout July and August and into September, information on National Preparedness Month activities scheduled by Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) and Delaware Citizen Corps was issued by the DEMA Public Information Officer (PIO) to all statewide media and posted to community events calendars in newsletters and on television, public broadcasting and chambers of commerce websites. Interviews were conducted with area newspapers and radio. Information for tweets was given to staff for including on Twitter.

From: http://www.fema.gov/about/regions/regioniii/npm_challenge.shtm#7

Citizen Corps Council Meeting November 4, 2009

Announcing a New Castle County Citizen Corps Council Meeting

When: November 4, 2009 10:00 am

Where: at the Brookside Community Center
Located at: 900 Marrows Rd Newark, DE

Agenda

• Welcome and introductions

• Review and approval of July 2009 meeting minutes

• NCC Citizen Corps update

o December CERT class December 10 and 11
o FY 2008 funding status, FY 2007 expenditures
o Red Cross Damage Assessment

• Discussion about services for the hearing impaired
o State preparedness video with subtitles


• Discussion about public notification and warning

• Open group discussion

• Set action items and agenda for next meeting


• Adjourn

CERT Class announced!

New Castle County Citizen Corps is proud to announce that we will be sponsoring a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training course in December 2009. REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Here are the details:

Who: New Castle County Residents and those who work in New Castle County

What: CERT- FREE Community Emergency Response Team training. A 2 day class. Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided. FREE CERT bag provided to participants.We will cover: terrorism awareness, light search and rescue,fire suppression, First Aid, CPR, AED, and other topics.

Where: Cpl. Paul J. Sweeney Public Safety Building 3601 N. DuPont Hwy New Castle DE 19720

When: 2 Day class – Thursday and Friday December 10th and 11th 2009, 8:30 am - 3:30 pm both days.(Recertifications need only come to day 2 - December 11)


How to sign up: email citizencorps@nccde.org or call (302) 395-2700

CPAW Report on National Night Out

NCC Citizen Corps Parner, Crime Prevention Area Watch (CPAW) reports on National Night Out below:

National Night Out Against Crime was held at three locations in New Castle County on Tuesday evening August 4, 2009 from 5PM--8PM. The event was the 26th Annual National Event. The goal is to bring communities together to bridge the gap between local law enforcement and communities to work as one.

The Northern District Advisory Council of the New Castle County Police held their event at the Woodshaven-Kruse Park located on Darley Road in Claymont, DE.

An estimated crowd of 706 attended the event. New Castle County Executive Chris Coons, New Castle County Council President Paul Clark, other County elected officials and State elected officials were in attendance.

Colonel Rick Gregory, Sr. Cpl. Amy Kevis and Terry O'Connor of the New Castle County Police MET Team K-9 were also in attendance. Rick Jensen from WDEL 1150 broadcast live from 4PM-7PM. At the end of the evening Officer O'Connor and his K-9 dog along with the Delaware State Police K-9 dog put on some demonstrations.

Other organizations that were present were Delmarva Power, Claymont Fire Company, Delaware State Attorney General’s Office and Delaware Crime Stoppers.

Hot dogs, cold drinks and Seasons Pizza were free to everyone. CPAW (Crime Prevention Area Watch) of New Castle County was also in attendance.

Congratulations to Dee Whildin, CPAW North District Director and President of the Northern Advisory Council of the New Castle County Police for her long hours of planning and having a very enjoyable evening for everyone in attendance.

The Western District of the New Castle County Police held their event at Banning Park located off Maryland Avenue in Wilmington, DE. Elected officials from the New Castle County Government and from the State of Delaware all made an appearance. Estimated attendance at the event was 350. Colonel Rick Gregory of the New Castle County Police was in attendance.

Minquas Fire Company, Kent County SPCA, Delaware National Guard, along with other agencies were also available for free information and demonstrations.

Hot Dogs, cold drinks, cupcakes, Herr's chips/snacks and Grotto's Pizza were available free to everyone.

Congratulations to Sr. Cpl. Mike Snead of the New Castle County Police and members of the Western District Advisory Council of the New Castle County Police on their event.

This report of the event held at Banning Park was provided by Cheryl Manna, Secretary WDAC and CPAW.

I have not received the report from the Central District who held their event at the Glasgow Regional Park located on Route 40 near Glasgow, DE.

Rob Blansfield
Co-Executive CPAW

New Castle County National Night Out a Success!

New Castle County Citizen Corps Partners; New Castle County Office of Emergency Management, Communications Corps, Emergency Services Corps, and New Castle County Police attended the National Night Out event at Banning Park. Check out the Communications Corps blog for pictures

Ncc Comm Corps Intro

New Castle County Communication Corps Presentation by Robbie McCray to the Citizen Corps Council, July 2009

Ncc Comm Corps Intro

View more presentations from ncc.citizencorps.

July 2009 NCC Citizen Corps Council Minutes

New Castle County Citizen Corps Council
July 17, 2009 Meeting Minutes


• Welcome and introductions
o In attendance (in order of sign in): John Scoggin- MARS/Christiana CARES, Mike Hall- Christiana CARES, Linda Seltzer – CPAW, Bill Wheatley-CPAW, Rob Blansfield – CPAW, Jill Graham – YMCA, Marny McLee-DE Citizen Corps, Robert George – DE Citizen Corps, Nicole Desmarais – DMRC, Robbie McCray – NCC Comm Corps, Jerry Picard American Red Cross Delmarva, Dave Carpenter Jr. – NCCOEM, Brian Bannon - NCCOEM

• Review and approval of April 2009 meeting minutes – approved as written

• NCC Citizen Corps update

o As of July 1, 2009
184 CERT trained volunteers and
35 instructors
(for a total of 219 trained volunteers)
Volunteers have put in a total of 478 hours this quarter (604 hours for calendar 2009)
During this quarter, 22 new CERT volunteers received CERT training for a sub total of 286 volunteer hours (13 hours x 22 volunteers)

Additionally, 32 volunteers were trained as NOAA Storm Spotters for a sub total of 192 volunteer hours (6 hours x 32 volunteers)

• Training, outreach, and Volunteer Opportunities for Citizen Corps Members

o Opportunities from the council –none

o Summer CERT training opportunity – NCC OEM: Brian Bannon offered to host a summer CERT class and/or refresher for Citizen Corps partners if interest exists. The partners will take the info back to their organizations.

• Open group discussion
o Bob George from The State Citizen Corps discussed the translation of the Disaster Preparedness video into Spanish and the need for assistance in distributing / promoting the video to the Spanish speaking population. An outreach kit is forthcoming to assist in distribution efforts.

o Bob George discussed non typical function preparedness – Jerry Picard form the Red Cross Delmarva advised that the Red Cross has brochures and outreach resources available in most preparedness areas and many are in English and Spanish.

o Jerry Picard discussed the recent impact of the loss of water in a neighborhood and how this illustrated a lack of preparedness in that area. The group discussed how these types of small scale inconveniences can be used as an opportunity to discuss preparedness.

o The Council welcomed Nicole Desmarais from the Delaware Medical Reserve Corps as a new, New Castle County Citizen Corps partner.

o Nicole Desmarais discussed the need/opportunity to educate the public thru reaching out to children. She also briefly provided an overview of the Delaware Medical Reserve Corps. She discussed how the website http://servde.org provides for volunteer registration and recruiting. She advised that all types of volunteers can register at the SERVDE website, not just medical professionals (examples – interpreter corps, mental health and clergy, CERT members, etc.). Nicole agreed to give a presentation in more depth at a future Council meeting. The Council will investigate this system as a possible solution for coordinating volunteer recruitment, call up, and communication.

o Mike Hall from Christiana CARES discussed how Boy Scouts can be useful in emergencies and urged the group to learn about the Scouts.

o Bill Wheatley and Rob Blansfield from CPAW discussed the CPAW organization and several success stories of found children and criminals caught. CPAW success stories will be featured on the Citizen Corps web site and will be forwarded to the State Citizen Corps.

o John Scoggin from CARES/MARS discussed his communications vehicle – MCU37. He discussed the need for volunteers, police radio integration, and the need for a credentialing system. Information on MCU37 can be found here: http://www.armymars.net/ArmyMARS/MCU/

o The group discussed credentialing of volunteers and the need for a statewide / nationwide solution. We also discussed using the SERVEDE /ESARVHP system to maintain a database of volunteers. Nicole will provide more information on this system in the future.

o Dave Carpenter Jr. discussed Family Preparedness night – September 12, 2009 and the DEMA Citizen Preparedness Survey.

• New Castle County Communications Corps - The Citizen Corps Council welcomed the newly formed New Castle County Communication Corps as a
partner. Robbie McCray provided an overview of the organization. See the PowerPoint presentation above.

Communication Corps is striving to unite multiple amateur radio groups and associations in New Castle County to provide the Citizen Corps Council with a single point of contact and to coordinate emergency preparedness and response communications activities.

• Brian Bannon advised the group that any funding requests need to be in ASAP for the FY 2008 Citizen Corps grant.

• Set action items and agenda for next meeting—o If available Nicole will give a presentation about the DMRC and the SERVDE/ESARVHP program for volunteer registration.

o CPAW will provide an overview of their organization and share success stories


• Adjourn

Crime Prevention Area Watch (CPAW)

Recently the New Castle County Citizen Corps has solidified it's relationship with Crime Prevention Area Watch (CPAW). Here is the announcement from the Executive Directors of CPAW:

I am very pleased and honored to announce this afternoon that CPAW (Crime Prevention Area Watch) has joined into working relationships with New Castle County Citizens Corp, New Castle County Emergency Management and the Delaware Emergency Management Agency.

We will have a link to all of the organizations on our web-site (www.cpawde.org) and they will include our organization onto their web-sites.

This is a great acheivement for our organization and we look forward to working with all those involved.







Rob Blansfield
Bill Wheatley
Executive Directors CPAW

Dee Whildin
CPAW North District Director

DEMA Online Survey

The Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) is conducting a survey to gauge Delaware resident's level of preparedness for emergencies. Follow this link to complete the survey:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=clhidkV6d0pEX0NPSGhiUXpsQ0htcGc6MA

July 17, 2009 Citizen Corps Council Meeting

New Castle County Citizen Corps Council Meeting
July 17, 2009 10:00 am
Cpl. Paul J. Sweeney Building 3601 N. DuPont Hwy New Castle, DE 19720
Agenda


• Welcome and introductions

• Review and approval of April 2009 meeting minutes

• NCC Citizen Corps update

o As of July 1, 2009
184 CERT trained volunteers and
35 instructors
(for a total of 219 trained volunteers)
Volunteers have put in a total of 478 hours this quarter (604 hours for
calendar 2009)
During this quarter, 22 new CERT volunteers received CERT training for a
sub total of 286 volunteer hours (13 hours x 22 volunteers)

Additionally, 32 volunteers were trained as NOAA Storm Spotters for a sub total of 192 volunteer hours (6 hours x 32 volunteers)



• Training, outreach, and Volunteer Opportunities for Citizen Corps Members
o Opportunities from the council
o Summer CERT training opportunity – NCC OEM


• New Castle County Communications Corps overview – Robbie McCray


• Set action items and agenda for next meeting


• Adjourn

Volunteers Needed for the Delaware State Fair

Here is some info from the Delaware State Citizen Corps. Please contact them directly with questions or to schedule time to help out:

DEMA (Delaware Emergency Management Agency) has for years had a Display Table at the State Fair. Citizen Corps has joined in the last four years to also help and man a display table. Would any CERT Volunteers like to work a few hours (usually 4) per shift (8-12, 12-4, 4-8 etc…) or a shift on different days. The State Fair will run from Jul 23-Aug 1.

The booth/displays are under the Wilmington Trust Bandstand also near the Raceway and Buffet, you will be given a parking pass and of course free entrance to the park on the day (s) that you work.

Please let Marny McLee from the State Citizen Corps know ASAP, if you are interested, what days and times you are available. Marny will pass you name onto Rosanne Pack DEMA Community Outreach and Public Information Officer.

Here is Marny's contact info:

Marny D. McLee (Mac)
Citizen Corps & CERT Training and Outreach Coordinator
Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA)
165 Brick Store Landing Road
Smyrna, DE 19977
(Desk) 302 659-2243
(Cell) 302 222-6651
(Fax) 302 659-6822
delawarecitizencorps.org

For Delaware State Fair info go here:
http://www.delawarestatefair.com/

ARRL Field Day June 27 and 28, 2009

On June 27 and 28, 2009, Radio Amateurs (Hams) across the country will participate in the annual ARRL Field Day exercise. Field Day encourages hams to go out in the field, under simulated disaster conditions, and see how many stations they can contact in a 24 hour period. The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is the National Association for Amateur Radio, based in Newington, CT, and the parent of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service ARES®.

Hams across the country respond to disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and wildfires and are often the main, or only lines of communications for hours, days, or even months after the event when the normal communications infrastructure is damaged or destroyed, as it was in Hurricane Katrina.

First State Amateur Radio Club will hold their Field Day at WDEL/WSTW, 2727 Shipley Road Wilmington, DE 19803 so come out and see how it is done!

Before the exercise, the Northern Delaware VE testing team will be there administering all three levels of FCC Amateur Radio exams also. Complete info on the exams is available at http://n3uz.com/

NOAA Storm Spotter class a success!

Please check back later for new class offerings and opportunities.

The New Castle County Citizen Corps Council hosted a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA) Storm Spotter class on Saturday June 20, 2009 from 10:00am – 4:00 pm at the Paul J. Sweeney Public Safety Building located at 3601 N. DuPont Hwy New Castle, DE 19720. The class was a great success with 32 people attending the Basic and Advanced Storm Spotter classes. Special Thanks to Larry Nierenberg from the National Weather Service, Mount Holly Office for teaching this class and to Mark Chandler, the New Castle County Skywarn Coordinator for setting up this class.
For more information on the Storm Spotter program go here: http://www.volunteer.noaa.gov/weather_stormspotter.html email: citizencorps@nccde.org with questions.

Citizen Corps Partner Robbie McCray Recognized

On May 14, 2009 New Castle County Citizen Corps Partner Robbie McCray was recognized at the New Castle County Public Safety awards for his contributions in establishing amateur radio communications capability in the New Castle County Emergency Operations Center through the New Castle County Emergency Operations Group.

Pictured (from Left to right) County Executive Chris Coons, Acting Public Safety Director, Colonel Rick Gregory, Robbie McCray, Emergency Management Coordinator Dave Carpenter Jr.



Congratulations on a job well done Robbie!

Free Swine Flu Information, Training, and Resources

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has information about Swine Flu posted on their website: http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/


The University of North Carolina’s Center for Public Health Preparedness has free training and resources for Swine Flu on their website:

http://nccphp.sph.unc.edu/

CERT class Announced June 12 and 13, 2009

New Castle County Citizen Corps Council is sponsoring a two day CERT class. Here are the details:

When:
Day 1: Friday, June 12 from 4:30pm (registration 5:00 pm start)-9:00pm

Day 2: Saturday, June 13 from 8:00 am - 4:00 pm

Where: The New Castle County Emergency Operation Center, 3601 N. DuPont Hwy New Castle DE, 19720

What: FREE Community Emergency Response Team Training.

Dinner will be provided on Friday. Breakfast and Lunch will be provided on Saturday. All class participants will receive a FREE CERT bag.


To register email citizencorps@nccde.org or call (302) 395-2700 by JUNE 4th. To add a reminder to your Google Calendar click here

NOAA Storm Spotter Class Announced

The New Castle County Citizen Corps Council will be hosting a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA) Storm Spotter class on Saturday June 20, 2009 from 10:00am – 4:00 pm at the Paul J. Sweeney Public Safety Building located at 3601 N. DuPont Hwy New Castle, DE 19720. The course will be held in the Emergency Operations Center. Please check in at the Public Information Center upon arrival. Lunch will be provided. For Directions to the Paul J. Sweeney Public Safety Building go here: http://www2.nccde.org/Buildings/SweeneyPublicSafetyBldg/default.aspx For information the Storm Spotter program go here: http://www.volunteer.noaa.gov/weather_stormspotter.html To register for this class, email: citizencorps@nccde.org with your name, email, and phone number or call (302) 395-2700 by June 8, 2009.

Citizen Corps Council Meeting April 17th Meeting Minutes

The New Castle County Citizen Corps Council met on April 17, 2009 at 10:00am, at the Cpl. Paul J. Sweeney Public Safety Building located at 3601 North DuPont Highway, New Castle DE 19720. We met in the Emergency Operation Center on the second floor.

Minutes

• Welcome and introductions
• In attendance (in order of sign in):
o Robert Altieri Smyrna Police, Ed Taubert Smyrna Police, Marcia Nickle University of Delaware, Ken Pierce US Coast Guard Auxiliary, Robbie McCray NCC Ares/RACES, Jennifer Kerber American Red cross, Jerry Picard American Red cross, Linda Seltzer CPAW, Bill Wheatley CPA/CERT/VIPS, Brian Bannon NCCOEM, Robert George DEMA, Dave Carpenter Jr. NCCOEM. Elizabeth Desimone NCC Community Services, Susan Eggert NCC Community Services.

• Review and approval of January 13, 2009 meeting minutes

• Training, outreach, and Volunteer Opportunities for Citizen Corps Members
o Coast Guard Spill response training – Bob George, the State Citizen Corps Director discussed a possible opportunity to develop teams for initial damage assessment for spills. Bob will look into this opportunity with DNREC and the Coast Guard.

o Unattended minor sheltering – Bob discussed this opportunity is available to Citizen Corps members through the State Department of Social Services.

o Red Cross volunteer opportunities – Jerry Picard discussed opportunities available to Citizen Corps members through the Red Cross web page. We also discussed integrating information about Red Cross volunteer and training opportunities into NCC and State CERT classes.

o CERT. A CERT class is scheduled for June 12 and 13 at the New Castle County EOC. Info is posted at http://ncccitizencorps.blogspot.com/2009/04/cert-class-announced-june-12-and-13.html

A CERT Train the Trainer was held on April 8th, 2009 -18 new instructors were trained.

o NWS Storm Spotter program. This class is scheduled for June 20 at the New Castle County EOC info posted at http://ncccitizencorps.blogspot.com/2009/04/noaa-storm-spotter-class-announced.html

o Others opportunities from the group – The Council discussed sharing information and resources

• Draft MOU for New Castle County Citizen Corps Council This was deferred because Delaware Technical and community College Representatives were not available.

• Discussion of establishment of districts for administering New Castle County Citizen Corps programs. The Council engaged in a discussion about coordinating with existing, successful programs to divide the County into manageable administrative units. CPAW (Crime Prevention area Watch)/VIPS are divided up by N, S, E, and W. Bill Wheatley discussed the CPAW program and its neighborhood watch mission that is coordinated with the NCC Police. This is a possible model for future Citizen Corps program coordination. Information on CPAW can be found here: http://www.cpawde.org/

• Citizen Corps program updates

o New Castle County Citizen Corps Blogger web page
http://ncccitizencorps.blogspot.com/ Brian Bannon discussed how this site is used to convey info and for a central location. Other programs are invited to send information for posting. Email citizencorps@nccde.org with requested postings

o NCC TV Channel 22 – This channel and website are available for informational posting. The web address is : http://webus.telvue.com/wi/index.aspx?cid=230&ref=http://www2.nccde.org/Home/default.aspx

o Citizen corps program update – classes and program goals were discussed. The goal is to create a preparedness network of programs that the Citizen Corps Council coordinates and acts as an informational portal for volunteers. A key piece of this is the Citizen Corps Program guide. U of D intern Elizabeth Desimone distributes draft copies of the Program Guide to the group. The language in the guide will reflect the idea of coordination among the various programs and partners.

o DelTech program update Deferred


o State Citizen Corps Update - Blue Rocks Preparedness Night. Bob George discussed the May 28, 2009 Blue Rock preparedness night at Frawley Stadium. Info on this is located here: http://delawarecitizencorps.blogspot.com/2009/03/blue-rocks-emergency-preparedness-night.html .

o Communications Corps updates. Robbie McCray showed the NCCEOG website http://ncceog.org and discussed how new equipment from the state is coming online soon. The council requested an update at the next quarterly meeting.

• Set action items and agenda for next meeting—
o Communications Corp/NCCEOG update and overview will be on the next meeting agenda.
o Program information /Volunteer training opportunities and procedures, etc. should be sent to Elizabeth Desimone for inclusion in the Program Guide. Her email is edesimone@nccde.org


• Adjourn

What is the New Castle County Citizen Corps?

The New Castle County Citizen Corps Council is a collaborative effort between Government and non-profit, emergency preparedness and response organizations and programs that operate in New Castle County. The Council consists of representatives from the following organizations and programs: American Red Cross of the Delmarva Peninsula, AmeriCorps, CERT, Communication Corps, Delaware Citizen Corps, DEMA, Delaware Technical and Community College, Fire Corps, New Castle County Community Services, New Castle County Department of Public Safety, New Castle County Fire Chief’s Association, New Castle County Firefighters Association, Neighborhood Watch, Volunteers in Police Service, and the YMCA of Delaware. The Citizen Corps Council serves as portal to a wide variety of volunteer opportunities for New Castle County residents and visitors.

Make an Emergency Plan

The Ready web site is hosting an online wizard for making an Emergency Plan . The site is located here;
http://ready.adcouncil.org/beprepared/fep/index.jsp

Homeland Security - I'm Ready

See Del Tech's presentation by clicking on the box to the right

See Del Tech's presentation by clicking on the box to the right.

January 2009 Citizen Corps Council Minutes

New Castle County Citizen Corps Council January 13, 2009 Meeting Minutes
Welcome and introductions.

The following members were present
(in order of sign in):
Brian Bannon NCCOEM, Robbie McCray NCC ARES/RACES, Shanequa Williams NCCOEM/ESC, Marny McLee DEMA, David Wilson NCC Fire Chiefs Assoc, Lt. Frank Piectrazak NCCEMS, Emily Coggin NCCOEM/ESC, Dave Carpenter Jr. NCCOEM, Dr. Carl Wyche DTCC, Jill Graham NCC ESC, Jerry Picard DelMarVa Red Cross , Lt. Michael McGowan NCCPD, Bob Coyle NCC Emergency Communications, Susan Eggert NCC Community Services.

New Castle County Citizen Corps overview presentation – Dave Carpenter Jr. New Castle County Office of Emergency Management – past and present focus and goals for the future
New Castle County Coordinator of Emergency Management, Dave Carpenter Jr. provided a brief history and status of the New castle County Citizen Corps program. He outlined the following goals:

• Focused/coordinated public outreach and education under the Citizen Corps umbrella


• information sharing/shared database of volunteers


• improved management and coordination of administrative and registration functions with the Del-Tech partnership


• Continued training and development of volunteers


• Increase the availability of training and instructors


• Build and maintain partnerships and sustain the Citizen Corps Council

Presentation on Delaware Technical & Community College tie-in with the New Castle County Citizen Corps Program – Dr. Carl Wyche

Dr. Wyche presented on Del-Tech's Homeland Security Program and the tie-in with the New Castle County Citizen Corps Program. He also discussed the development of a State of Delaware preparedness model that would be applicable to the project with Trinidad and Tobago. Dr. Wyche discussed how Del-Tech can become a volunteer recruiting, training, and marketing partner in the Citizen Corps program while providing a pool of young, enthusiastic students – turned Citizen Corps instructors. See attached PowerPoint Presentation.

Common branding and coordination of Citizen Corps programs Brian Bannon, New Castle County Office of Emergency Management

Emergency Planner Brian Bannon discussed the concept of common branding and coordination of the various Citizen Corps partner programs under one Umbrella of New Castle County Citizen Corps while each program maintains its own organizational integrity, operating procedures, etc. The idea of cross- training and cross-recruiting volunteers by providing them with a common volunteer service menu/program guide was discussed and agreed upon.

Citizen Corps Structure and Development of MOU’s
The Council agreed that each agency would have an equal vote on the Council and that NCCOEM would chair the Council. The Council also agreed that formal MOU's would be developed to clarify funding relationships and outline responsibilities.

Determination of meeting frequency, location, and scheduleThe Council agreed to quarterly meetings.

The next meeting will be at the Del-Tech Stanton Campus -Date TBD

Set action items and agenda for next meeting

Action Item: Dr. Wyche advised that he could provide sample MOU's to NCCOEM to aid in development of a funding MOU for Del-Tech. OEM will develop a draft MOU by the next meeting.

Susan Eggert from NCC Community Services offered the services of a University of Delaware technical writing intern to assist in the development of a New Castle County Citizen Corps program guide/menu of services.

Action item: the Council members should send accomplishments, pictures, logos, mission statements, relevant contact information etc. to citizencorps@nccde.org to be included in the Citizen Corps program guide.
Agenda item for next meeting: Discussion of Districts for organizing volunteers in the county

Adjourn