N.D. Citizen Corps Council finalist for national award

The North Dakota Citizen Corps Council is a finalist for the 2010 National Citizen Corps Achievement Awards–Celebrating Resilient Communities presented by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The council has been recognized for exemplary community preparedness efforts and was selected as a finalist in the category of Outstanding State/Territory Citizen Corps Initiatives Award.

The North Dakota Citizen Corps Council was chosen as a national 2010 finalist, in part, due to its work during the 2009 spring floods and the Dickinson tornado. The council also helped to establish the state’s first Teen Community Emergency Response Team program in Cass County and provided a leadership role in North Dakota Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster and the state’s donations management activities.

As a finalist, the North Dakota Citizen Corps Council exemplifies excellence in community emergency planning, fosters successful public-private partnerships, prioritizes collaboration, demonstrate creative and innovative local problem solving and implements sound programs that can be modeled for use by other communities.

“The North Dakota Citizen Corps Council is proud of the efforts of our communities in making this important program a success," said Mikey Hoven, North Dakota first lady and Citizen Corps Council chair. We are honored to be nationally recognized for our efforts in preparedness and collaboration.”

Administered by FEMA and implemented locally, Citizen Corps is the grassroots movement to actively engage civic leaders and the public in community safety and disaster preparedness. Citizen Corps programs in North Dakota include Community Emergency Response Team, Neighborhood Watch, Volunteers in Police Service and Medical Reserve Corps.

Members of the North Dakota Citizen Corps Council in addition to Hoeven are co-sponsors the N.D. Department of Emergency Services and N.D. League of Cities; 911 Association of N.D., N.D. National Guard, N.D. Association of Counties, N.D. Emergency Management Association, N.D. EMS Association, N.D. Department of Health, N.D. Firefighters Association, N.D. Fire Chiefs Association, N.D. Indian Affairs Commission, N.D. Peace Officers Association, N.D. Police Chiefs Association, State Fire Marshal and N.D. Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster.

Award winners will be announced in September as part of National Preparedness Month and will attend a Community Resilience Roundtable in Washington, D.C., with national leaders in emergency management, including FEMA, the National Emergency Management Association and the International Association of Emergency Managers.

More information on the North Dakota Citizen Corps Council is available at www.ndlc.org, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NDCERT or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ndccp. For more information about FEMA and Citizen Corps, visit www.fema.gov and www.citizencorps.gov.

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