FEMA Kicks Off United We Serve Campaign With Volunteer, First Responder Roundtable In Denver 

Release Date: June 22, 2009
Release Number: HQ-09-074

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency kicked off the President's summer of service by holding a roundtable with volunteer and career first responders, including firefighters, members of FEMA's Fire Corps and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).  Today's event highlights President Obama's United We Serve campaign (www.serve.gov), a call to all Americans to join a volunteer effort this summer, and underscores the importance of volunteerism, the model these citizens and their service sets for all Americans, and the critical role they play in our communities.

"All you need to do is look around any firehouse to understand that service starts locally. America's first responders are not only the backbone of our emergency response team, but examples of what it means to make community service part of our daily lives," said FEMA Administrator and former volunteer firefight Craig Fugate. "I hope that all Americans will follow the example set by our first responders and learn how they can help their neighbors by taking part in the President's United We Serve campaign."

The United We Serve campaign focuses on four key areas where everyone can impact their communities:  energy and environment; healthcare; education; and community renewal. 

Through FEMA's Fire Corps and CERT programs, both component of the Citizen Corps program (www.citizencorps.gov), volunteers in communities across the country are learning critical preparedness skills, allowing them to better serve their neighbors and support first responders in the event of an emergency or disaster.

For more information on FEMA's Fire Corps and CERT programs, please visit: www.firecorps.org/ and www.citizencorps.gov/cert/.

FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Last Modified: Monday, 22-Jun-2009 13:11:51