The Grant County Citizens Corps Council, established in 2004, works to promote disaster preparedness among the citizens, as well as to foster a network of volunteers that the communities can draw upon during times of need.  The citizens corps council offers training through the Community Emergency Response Team, or CERT, program.  CERT teaches citizens how they can better prepare themselves at home, school, and work, and how they can help their neighbors and their communities in the wake of a disaster.  With funding assistance from the state Citizen Corps program, our office conducted CERT courses in Lancaster and Platteville in 2006. 

Citizen volunteers can be a valuable resource for communities when handling a major emergency or disaster.  Potential volunteers who have completed CERT training and are interested in helping their community are offered periodic training through the Grant County Citizen Corps program.  During disaster response, civilians are not assigned to duties that are traditionally reserved for certified public safety officials.  However, there are many critical activities that citizens may assist with, ranging from clerical support to more ‘hands-on’ activities.  Specific training that volunteers undergo includes assisting with mass care and sheltering, assisting with damage assessment activities, providing staff, clerical, and technical support to the local Emergency Operations Center, managing citizen volunteers, managing donations, assisting with rehab and support of public safety personnel, assisting with animal protection/sheltering during emergencies, and assisting families and special needs individuals.  The volunteers recruited through this program receive periodic training, and operate under the supervision and authority of local officials during times of emergency, in accordance with the National Incident Management System (NIMS).   

In 2006, the Citizens Corps Council formed a volunteer workgroup to address pet rescue and housing issues during a disaster.  Pets pose numerous issues during natural disasters such as tornadoes, because they are not allowed in public shelters.  In 2006, the volunteer workgroup updated our emergency plans to list available animal shelters, and discussed plans for staffing animal shelters with volunteers in the event of a major disaster.  The Citizens Corps Council also distributed funding to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office and the Platteville Police Department to support local neighborhood watch programs in 2006.