Get Involved
Washington County is a place that features thriving communities. We believe a community thrives when people engage one another and work together. This is especially true when preparing for life’s most challenging circumstances.
In the context of preparing for disasters, there are many ways to connect with preparedness-minded people. Washington County proudly hosts Citizen Corps and affiliated programs which span a variety of preparedness topics.
The mission of Citizen Corps is to 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. Among others, Citizen Corps partner and affiliate programs include Amateur Radio Emergency Service, Community Emergency Response Team, Medical Reserve Corps, and Neighborhood Watch.
Amateur Radio Emergency Services The Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) supplies volunteer communications services to public service agencies and organizations in support of their responses to critical incidents. Volunteer communications services are those provided without compensation for a served agency or organization by licensed amateur radio personnel who are registered with ARES, and are intended to implement and sustain communications or related functions during a critical incident or during training for a critical incident. These services are not limited to amateur radio; they may include services related to or associated with other communications systems. |
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Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) CERT is a free program that trains people in the areas of disaster preparedness, fire suppression, triage, search and rescue as well as disaster psychology. CERT is dedicated to informing, training, and linking community volunteers and their neighborhoods to effectively respond to and recover from disasters and hazards affecting them. |
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Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is a national network of volunteers, organized locally to improve the health and safety of their communities. MRC volunteers include medical and public health professionals, as well as other community members without healthcare backgrounds. MRC units engage these volunteers to strengthen public health, improve emergency response capabilities and build community resiliency. They prepare for and respond to natural disasters as well as other emergencies affecting public health, such as disease outbreaks. |
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Neighborhood Watch The Neighborhood Watch program is one of the oldest and most effective crime prevention programs in the country, bringing citizens together with law enforcement to deter crime and make communities safer. |
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