Get Involved
There are many ways to get involved especially before a disaster occurs, the content found on this page will guide you find ways to take action in your community. Community leaders agree the formula for ensuring a safer homeland consists of trained volunteers and the informed individual taking action to increase the support of emergency response agencies during disasters. Major disasters can overwhelm first responder agencies, empowering individuals to lend support.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Learn first aid, join a Community Emergency Response Team in your community, donate to a reputable organization of your choice, and volunteer to respond to disasters and help your fellow Americans. Visit NVOAD.org to learn more.
- Volunteer and receive training to support disaster and preparedness efforts in your community.
- Teach preparedness curriculum in your school. Download everything you need for grades K-12 through the Ready Kids program offered by Ready.gov.
- Promote preparedness online by sharing preparedness tips on your social media account with the Ready.gov online social media toolkit or public service announcements
- Take a free online independent study course through FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute and gain more knowledge to help your community become more prepared.
Until Help Arrives
You Are the Help Until Help Arrives (Until Help Arrives), designed by FEMA, are pieces of training that can be taken online or in-person, where participants learn to take action and, through simple steps, potentially can save a life before professional help arrives. The program encourages the public to take these five steps when there is an emergency.
- Call 9-1-1
- Protect the injured from harm
- Stop bleeding
- Position the injured so they can breathe
- Provide comfort
Citizen Corps
The Citizen Corps mission is accomplished through a national network of state, local, and tribal Citizen Corps Councils. These councils build on community strengths to implement the Citizen Corps preparedness programs and carry out a local strategy to involve government, community leaders, and citizens in all-hazards preparedness and resilience.
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.
To learn how you can register for Citizen Corps or find a program near you, please contact your local emergency manager or FEMA at [email protected]
Community Emergency Response Team
Community Emergency Response Team program educates individuals about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations.
- To learn how you can register for CERT or find a program near you, please contact your local emergency manager or FEMA at [email protected]
- Register, join or login to your CERT
Youth Preparedness
Emergencies and disasters can happen at any time, often without warning, where you may not be together with your children. Starting or getting involved with a youth preparedness program is a great way to enhance a community’s resilience and help develop future generations of prepared adults.
Prepareathon
FEMA’s Prepareathon motivates people and communities to take action to prepare for and protect themselves against disasters. Its chief goals are to increase the number of people who:
- Understand which disasters could affect their community
- Know what to do to stay safe
- Take action to increase preparedness
- Improve their ability to recover from a disaster