 Hams are "the first of the first responders:" Liz DiGregorio, liaison to the White House for Citizen Corps addresses an overflow audience at the SoA signing June 21 in Dallas. |
 Chief Operating Officer of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate Ron Castleman (left) looks on while ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, signs the Statement of Affiliation on behalf of the League. |
NEWINGTON, CT, Jun 24, 2003--ARRL now is an official affiliate program of Citizen Corps, an initiative within the Department of Homeland Security to enhance public preparedness and safety. ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, signed the formal Statement of Affiliation between DHS and ARRL during the ARRL 2003 National Convention June 21. Chief Operating Officer of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate (FEMA) Ron Castleman represented Under Secretary for Emergency Preparedness and Response Michael D. Brown at the signing. Citizen Corps Liaison to the White House Liz DiGregorio called ham radio operators the "first of the first responders."
"You are there. You are part of that very, very first response when it happens locally," especially in the initial stages of an emergency or disaster, DiGregorio told the overflow audience at the signing ceremony. She urged amateurs to explore ways to expand their role in the community beyond being the last resort when other communication systems fail. "You need to show your community that you're engaged," she said. "They need to know as a community that ARRL is there."
Castleman said his agency really needs Amateur Radio's help. "Hams have a long and distinguished history of assisting and cooperating with FEMA," he said. That cooperation dates back to a 1984 Memorandum of Understanding between the League and FEMA. He said FEMA wants to continue to work with Amateur Radio operators as partners and expand hams' community safety role.
"We also want to help prepare every citizen
across our country before disaster strikes," Castleman said.
 Castleman (left) presents an etched-glass award to symbolize the new relationship between the ARRL and DHS. It reads, "The Department of Homeland Security welcomes the support of the American Radio Relay League as a valued partner of Citizen Corps." |
The agreement adds the ARRL as an affiliate to the four charter Citizen Corps programs--Neighborhood Watch, Volunteers in Police Service, Community Emergency Response Teams and Medical Reserve Corps. The League joins the National Safety Council, Points of Light Foundation, National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, National Volunteer Fire Council, National Fire Protection Association, Save A Life Foundation and The Jaycees as Citizen Corps affiliate programs.
 As he chats with ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, right, Castleman holds part of his collection of ARRL training manuals from the 1950s and 1960s. Castleman said he was an avid shortwave radio listener but never mastered Morse code to get his ticket. |
The SoA calls on DHS and ARRL to raise public awareness of Amateur Radio as a safety resource. "That's what you are all about, and we need a safer America," DiGregorio said in outlining ARRL's role within the program.
In addition, DHS and ARRL will cooperate in providing training and accreditation for Amateur Radio emergency communications. They also will work together to promote the formation of local Citizen Corps councils and assist them with education, training and volunteer service opportunities "that support first responders, disaster relief organizations and community safety efforts." As an affiliate, ARRL will be linked from the FEMA and Citizen Corps Web sites.
"We need you, and you need us, and we want to work together with you to make this all happen," DiGregorio concluded, "because we all share the same goal, and that goal is a better, stronger, more secure America."
The ARRL National
Convention 2003 was held in conjunction with Ham-Com near
Dallas. FEMA announced the SoA signing on its Web
site.
| Statement
of Affiliation Between the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the American
Radio Relay League
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) view community disaster preparedness and response as top priorities for their respective organizations and for the American people. As such, our organizations have come together to provide mutual support for Citizen Corps.
Under the direction of DHS, Citizen Corps is a community-based initiative to engage all citizens in homeland security and community and family preparedness through public education and outreach, training opportunities, and volunteer programs. Programs under the Citizen Corps umbrella include federally sponsored programs and other activities that share the goal of helping communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to terrorism, public health issues, and disasters of all kinds. It encourages all Americans to take an active role in building safer, stronger, and better-prepared communities.
ARRL is a non-commercial membership association of radio amateurs organized for the promotion of interest in Amateur Radio communication and experimentation, for the establishment of networks to provide communications in the event of disasters or other emergencies, for the advancement of the public welfare, for the representation of the Radio Amateur in legislative and regulatory matters. ARRL is the principal organization representing the interests of the more than 650,000 U.S. Radio Amateurs. Because of its organized emergency communications capability, ARRL's Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) can be of valuable assistance in providing critical and essential communications during emergencies and disasters when normal lines of communication are disrupted. ARRL conducts emergency communications training and certifies proficiency in emergency communications skills.
Together DHS and the ARRL agree to work collaboratively to:
On this 21st day of June 2003, both parties enter into this agreement in good faith and agree to pursue the shared mission as stated. |
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