Community Preparedness Webinar Series

FEMA’s Individual & Community Preparedness Division is excited to announce the eighth webinar in the Community Preparedness Webinar Series: National 9-1-1 Education Month: Partnering with E9-1-1 Institute and Engaging Local Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs). The Community Preparedness Webinar Series provides up-to-date information on community preparedness topics and resources available to citizens, community organizations, and Citizen Corps Councils. This LIVE webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, April 14th at 2:00 EDT and will provide information about 9-1-1 education, innovation, and the importance of working closely with local PSAPs. Webinar login will begin 15 minutes prior to the start of the webinar and registration is not required. A question and answer period will follow the presentation.

Live Webinar: National 9-1-1 Education Month: Partnering with E9-1-1 Institute and Engaging Local Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) April 14th @ 2:00 PM

April is National 9-1-1 Education Month. Citizen Corps’ affiliate, E9-1-1 Institute, encourages local communities to call upon educators, parents, public officials, and telecommunications industry leaders to join a national effort to educate the public on the importance of the 9-1-1 emergency call number system and its appropriate use during April. 9-1-1 is nationally recognized as the number to call in an emergency to receive immediate help from police, fire, EMS or other appropriate emergency response entities. It is important that all levels of government and community stakeholders understand the importance of 9-1-1, how the system works today, and necessary steps to modernize the 9-1-1 system.
The E9-1-1 Institute promotes public education on 9-1-1 and emergency communications. The E9-1-1 Institute shares the mission of the Congressional E9-1-1 Caucus, which is a joint initiative to educate lawmakers, constituents, and committees about the importance of citizen-activated emergency response systems. The E9-1-1 Institute serves as an information clearinghouse for policy makers at the federal, state, and local levels, as well as for interested organizations and the general public. Gregory Rohde, Executive Director of the E9-1-1 Institute, will discuss how the 9-1-1 system connects the eyes and ears of the public to the emergency response system. Mr. Rohde will highlight how to work with the E9-1-1 Institute to promote 9-1-1 education and citizen-activated emergency response systems to lawmakers, community stakeholders, and citizens.
Mr. Rohde will be joined by Wanda Royster Gattison from the Office of Unified Communications (OUC) in Washington DC. Ms. Gattison will provide a local perspective to the imperative role 9-1-1 public safety answering points (PSAPs) play in emergency response. PSAPs are often the first to know of emergencies of all magnitudes, making 9-1-1 a significant asset to emergency responders and the public. Ms. Gattison will discuss the essential relationship which must exist between PSAPs and their communities to educate the public about 9-1-1 and proper communications and messages during a disaster.

The Community Preparedness Webinar Series features new community preparedness topics several times each month and is free to the public. Each webinar will accommodate the first 500 visitors that enter the website at the time of the webinar. In addition to airing live, the webinar will be recorded and viewable at your convenience on the Citizen Corps website (www.citizencorps.gov) usually within 24 hours after the live webcast. To join the webinar live simply go to http://www.citizencorps.gov/news/webcasts/e911month.shtm and click on the button on the upper right side of the page that says "Join the Webinar". The button will be live 10 minutes prior to the start of the webinar. Sign in as a guest.
If you need special accommodations or require additional assistance to view or listen to this webinar, please email us at citizencorps@dhs.gov no later than 5pm EST on Monday, April 12th and we will provide you with additional resources so you may participate.
More details on this webinar and upcoming webinars in the Community Preparedness Webinar Series are available at http://www.citizencorps.gov/news/webcasts.shtm.