We all have a role in hometown security

Citizen Corps asks you to embrace the personal responsibility to be prepared; to get training in first aid and emergency skills; and to volunteer to support local emergency responders, disaster relief, and community safety.

Currently there are:
2,307 Councils which serve
223,044,448 people or
78% of the total U.S. population

• Check and change the batteries in your smoke alarms and replace all alarms that are more than 10 years old.
• Make sure you know where your local fire department, police station, and hospital are and post a list of emergency phone numbers posted near all the telephones in your home.
• Organize and practice a family fire drill -- make sure your children know what your smoke detector sounds like and what to do if it goes off when they are sleeping.
• Locate the utility mains for your home and be sure you know how to turn them off manually: gas, electricity, and water.
• Create an emergency plan for your household, including your pets. Decide where your family will meet if a disaster does happen: 1) right outside your home in case of a sudden emergency, like a fire and 2) outside your neighborhood in case you can't return home -- ask an out of town friend to be your "family contact" to relay messages.
• Prepare a 3-day disaster supply kit, complete with flashlights, batteries, blankets, and an emergency supply of water and food (and pet food!).
• Plan to hold a Neighborhood Watch meeting -- your local Sheriffs' office or police station can help you get started or visit www.usaonwatch.org for more information.
• Check the expiration dates of all over-the-counter medications -- discard all that are expired and replace any that are routinely needed.
• Make sure all cleaning products and dangerous objects are out of children's reach.
• Plan to sign up for a first aid training course. Call your local American Red Cross chapter, the National Safety Council or American Safety & Health Institute to ask about courses in your area (www.redcross.org, www.nsc.org or www.ashinstitute.org).
• Visit with your neighbors and discuss how you would handle a disaster in your area. Talk to neighbors with special needs and help them become safer too!