Sacramento Region Citizen Corps Council Receives National FEMA Award

Council Coordinates Volunteer Activities to Make Local Communities Safer 

SACRAMENTO – The Sacramento Region Citizen Corps Council (SRCCC) is excited to announce that they have received the National Citizen Corps Achievement Award in the category of Outstanding Citizen Corps Council by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The award was presented to SRCCC President Robert Crawford and Executive Director Geoff Winford, representing Sacramento’s Citizen Corp Council at the National FEMA conference in Washington DC on August 11^th, 2009. 

Having worked with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s and Sacramento Region Fire and Police Departments, the SRCCC conducts programs to reduce the public’s reliance on emergency services and to enhance local communities response capacity during time of disaster. SRCCC enhances the region’s emergency preparedness through public awareness; community education and training; response and recovery planning; and resource coordination.  

“Through the Citizen Corps programs we are able harness the power of every individual through education, training, and volunteer service to make communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to respond to the threats of terrorism, crime, public health issues, and disasters of all kinds. Many people and organizations have contributed to the tremendous success of the programs and it is an honor to be recognized by FEMA for our accomplishments in making the Sacramento region a safer place to live”, said Winford. 

SRCCC sponsors and works with numerous programs including the Sacramento Medical Reserve Corps, Community Emergency Response Team, Teen-CERT, Neighborhood Emergency Training, Emergency Volunteer Center, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program and the California Regional Community Policing Institute-Sacramento Office . These programs have been successful in increasing the number of residents trained in emergency preparedness; launching aggressive efforts to attract and retain trained volunteers for advanced training; conducting monthly and yearly drills to assess gaps in service and coverage; distributing disaster sup­plies; and initiating aggressive educational campaigns. 

Unfortunately, as the SRCCC is receiving this award, the organization is looking at having to reorganize programs due to budget cuts and issues with sponsorships and support.  The SRCCC is refocusing its efforts, using private funding, to support its “Neighbor Helping Neighbor” initiative. This initiative will work with other volunteer and Faith-based organizations to help the Sacramento region community to prepare for the next disaster.

 About the Award
FEMA’s National Citizen Corps Achievement Awards recognize innovative practices and achievements of Citizen Corps Councils across the nation. The winners exemplify excellence in community emergency planning, foster successful public-private partnerships, prioritize collaboration, demonstrate creative and innovative local problem solving, and implement sound programs that can be modeled for use by other communities. 

The SRCCC was selected as the final winner out of four finalists in the Outstanding Citizen Corps Council Award (Serving a population over 1.5 million) after submitting an application. The three other finalists were the Arizona Central Region Citizen Corps Council, New York City Citizen Corps Council, and Southeast Florida Regional Citizen Corps Task Force. 

FEMA Administrator W. Craig Fugate, National Emergency Management Association , Incoming President David Maxwell, and International Association of Emergency Managers, President Russ Decker presented the award to Geoff Winford, SRCCC Executive Director and Robert Crawford, SRCCC President at a ceremony during the 2009 National Conference on Community Preparedness ,on August 11th, 2009, in Arlington, VA.