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Russell C. Coile
Division's Preparedness Branch has a Family Preparedness Program. The
goal of this program is to have the American public better prepared about
what to do before, during and after a disaster. The Family Preparedness
program intends to help emergency managers develop partnerships
with businesses, schools, industry and community organization, and
to disseminate disaster preparedness information, including using the
Internet.
FEMA has begun to develop its own national partners. This initial
group includes the American Red Cross, National Weather Service, Boy
Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of the U.S.A., AFL-ClO Community Services,
National Sheriffs' Association, Camp Fire Boys and Girls, and the National
Association for Search and Rescue.
The Family Preparedness program's `Partnership in Action' project held
its fi rst conference on the Internet on June 20,1996. The World Wide Web
Home Page was: http://www.partner.org/actnow
The conference was opened by Kay Goss, FEMA Associate Director for
Preparedness, Training and Exercises with greetings from President Clinton
and Director James Lee Witt. The facilitator was Ralph Swisher, Family
Preparedness program manager. FEMA had gathered a panel of experts
to answer questions submitted over the Internet. The experts were: Rocky
Lopes of the American Red Cross Community Education Department; Bob
Johnson, Chairman of the National Coordinating Council on Emergency
Management Family Preparedness Task Force; Janet Clements of the
Virginia Department of Emergency Management; Barbara Patasce, Public
Fire Education Specialist for the United States Fire Administration; and Pat
Moore, a Cerfi fi ed Disaster Recovery Professional, Fellow of the Business
Continuity Institute. FEMA invited anyone interested to register for the
conference and submit questions for the experts during the initial two-hour
period.
The registration process is intended to build up a national resource bank
of people interested in emergency management. The information inserted
by the participants indicates their individual skills, accomplishments and
interests. The resource bank makes it possible for individuals to contact
others of like interests.
FEMA plans to have its second Family Preparedness Internet conference
in November 1996.