Our Citizen Corps Council of Teller County is official! The Citizen Corps Council consists of Citizen Corps groups and the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC). Mrs. Christina (Chris) Rubin will serve as our first Chairperson of the council. Chris is currently the Director of Teller County Public Health and our initial “focus” is the preparation of our community to deal with any future pandemic event.

Citizen Corps is a network of volunteer organizations that utilize the skills and abilities of our citizens to prepare our community for the threats of terrorism, crime and disasters. Citizen Corps is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and is a vital part of the USA Freedom Corps, President Bush’s initiative to encourage all Americans to engage in service to their communities, our country, and the world.

The Local Emergency Planning Committee includes Teller County officials (county commissioners, fire, police, emergency management, health, social services, etc.), professional services (physicians, nurses, EMS/EMTs, etc.) and volunteers (organizations and individuals). The purpose of the LEPC is to ensure that our county is unified and prepared to respond to any future emergency …quot; it will serve as a coordination body for all official, commercial, and volunteer groups within our country that deal with protection and safety of our citizens. By federal regulation, the LEPC is also responsible for administration of the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) within our county.

NOTE: A PowerPoint presentation on our Citizen Corps programs within Teller County can be downloaded at Citizen Corps Presentation.

NOTE: If you are an official within Teller County or a volunteer that might be able to help out in an emergency, we urge you to complete an Emergency Notification List (ENL) input form. You can download this form at TC-ENL FORM or send an email to TC-LEPC@hotmail.com for additional information. Completed forms should be delivered to the Sheriff's Office, scanned and emailed to TC-LEPC@hotmail.com, or faxed to 687-7806.

NOTE: We have recently designed a toolbar for your web browser (Internet Explorer and Firefox) which provides critical links to county resources and our Citizen Corps programs. The toolbar also includes an alert system that provides important information regarding ongoing emergencies and other situations. You can download this toolbar for free at http://officialtellercountyinfo.communitytoolbars.com/ or by clicking on the toolbar image:

Our goals are:

• Establish a Citizen Corps Council. Done!  We now have a fully recognized Citizen Corps Council and we are eligible for Federal/State funding which will be used to support some of the activities below.  Additional info on the Citizen Corps can be found at: http://www.citizencorps.gov. Our Citizen Corp Council will also serve as our Local Emergency Planning Committee.  Roles and responsibilities of the LEPC will be developed over the next year after consultation with all groups involved.

• Encourage participation in local Fire Corps groups. Teller County currently has two Fire Corps group which supports the Northeast Teller Fire Protection District and the Divide Fire Protection District. Additional info on the Fire Corps can be found at:http://www.firecorps.org/.

• Encourage participation in our Teller County Medical Reserve Corps (TC-MRC).  The TC-MRC consists of volunteer CO licensed or certified active and former medical professionals and adjunct medical volunteers that may be available to assist our community during a medical emergency or disaster.  TC-MRC provides the mechanism for orderly, optimal deployment of medical personnel in the event of an emergency, and provides training and education for volunteers.  For additional information about TC-MRC, please click on the MRC logo or email Sherril Sirochman at Teller County Public Health, at sirochmans@co.teller.co.us
  
  TC-MRC Application Process
  
  Additionally, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) have established the Colorado Volunteer Mobilizer (CVM) for Medical and Public Health Professionals.  This is an Internet based system in which citizens can register and indicate levels of potential assistance during an emergency, can be state- and nation- wide and includes other than licensed/certified or adjunct medical volunteers.

• Encourage participation in our Volunteers in Police Service(VIPS) groups.  Teller County supports several law-enforcement type volunteer groups such as the Sheriff’s Office Reserve Unit, Citizen Volunteer Patrol (CVP), Teller County Search & Rescue (TCSAR), the Colorado Mounted Rangers (CMR) (CMR Troop B), and the K9 Emergency Response Team (K9 ERT).  Additionally, we are trying to build upon several existing Neighborhood Watch programs to support our emergency communication plans.  We are in the process of defining the roles and responsibilities of these and other support groups in supporting our local law enforcement authorities during emergencies and disasters. Questions can be directed to TC-LEPC@hotmail.com.  

• Establish a Citizen Emergency Response Team (CERT).  We have recently decided to start a CERT to address emergency support tasks such as manning a Red Cross Shelter and direct support to our Office of Emergency Management. We have several local experts who are certified CERT trainers and we intend to sponsor various training in the near future.  If you are interested in joining this effort, please contact Bill Stevenson at bills@utepass.com.

Current Initiatives

• Identify critical positions and tasks that will need to be augmented during a pandemic event.  Once these positions and tasks are identified, we will begin planning to address these issues.
• Assist the Office of Emergency Management by creating an Emergency Notification List (ENL) system utilizing the El Paso - Teller E911 Authority.
• Develop a Citizen Corps Emergency Message System utilizing the Neighborhood Watch network and an Internet-based alert system using the "TC911 Toolbar" - see http://officialtellercountyinfo.communitytoolbars.com/. 
• Assist the Office of Emergency Management in preparing a "Pre-Disaster Mitigation Plan" by 31 Aug 08.
• Determine if the current resource-tracking systems meet requirements for Teller County's Office of Emergency Management.
• Establish an "Emergency Assistance and Response Program (EARP)" to address evacation and other assistance to special needs citizens.
• Assist county officials in establishing a Joint Information Center (JIC) plan to support the Information Officer during emergencies.