According to HSMI Director, John Perrone, the Homeland Security Action Team of AACC of which MCC is a leading entity has been instrumental in forging a formal relationship with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
June 16, 2008 Washington, D.C. -- In a signing ceremony today, the Deputy Administrator of the National Preparedness Directorate of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Dennis Schrader, announced a newly-formed affiliation between Citizen Corps and the American Association of Community Colleges ( AACC ) to help promote and improve community emergency preparedness, disaster response training for the public and volunteer service. Co-signing the Statement of Affiliation with Deputy Administrator Schrader was Dr. George R. Boggs, President and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges.
Citizen Corps and the AACC each view community safety and emergency preparedness as a top priority for their respective organizations and for the entire country. This partnership formalizes the commitment that community colleges play in homeland security. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, community colleges currently credential approximately 80 percent of first responders and 60 percent of health-care professionals.
"Community colleges play a vital role in training our first responders," said Dennis Schrader, FEMA Deputy Administrator, National Preparedness Directorate. "Through this affiliation with Citizen Corps, we are delighted to work with the American Association of Community Colleges to expand their role in comprehensive community preparedness to include support for emergency planning, education and outreach, and training for the general public."
Last week, MCC’s Homeland Security Management Institute hosted a consortium of community colleges with homeland security programs along with AACC representatives and collectively submitted a 3.5million dollar grant proposal to FEMA. If accepted, MCC would become one of five lead colleges in the nation to roll out a community preparedness program for FEMA.
John Perrone
Homeland Security Management Institute
06/19/2008 |