USPS teams with Citizen Corps
USPS to help shore up hometown security
Since 9/11, Americans have become more aware of national security and better prepared to respond to national emergencies and other crises.
As the nation’s volunteer “eyes and ears” on the water, USPS members can help make America’s waterways safer and more secure.
At its February 2009 Annual Meeting in Anaheim, Calif., USPS became an affiliate of Citizen Corps, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s alliance of government, community leaders and citizens working toward emergency preparedness.
As a Citizen Corps Affiliate, USPS joins 26 other national organizations in a unified structure of organized preparedness.
Our agreement requires us to
- raise awareness among USPS members about actions to take regarding disaster preparedness and response, public health, life supporting first aid, and volunteer service;
- promote district and squadron leaders’ participation on state and local Citizen Corps councils;
- promote participation in the America’s Waterway Watch and Waterway Awareness programs;
- help promote education, training and exercises, and volunteer opportunities that support first responders, disaster relief, and community safety, including Community Emergency Response Team training and other safety courses;
- coordinate national activities, including participation in National Preparedness Month, to further shared goals; and more.
The USPS Government and Partner Relations Committee has developed initial plans to help carry out the Citizen Corps mission and implement the agreement. Click here 
to read the agreement. Please bookmark the committee’s website, and visit it regularly as plan details unfold.
In the meantime, we urge district and squadron commanders or their homeland security designees to inform local emergency management officials of the affiliate agreement and obtain information about local Citizen Corps activities. Be sure to emphasize USPS members’ unique ability to recognize the vulnerabilities of ports, harbors, marinas and waterways. Commanders also should assess individual member skills, abilities and knowledge, as well as whether they would be willing to join their local Citizen Corps Council.
For more information on the USPS Citizen Corps Affiliate agreement, contact Citizen Corps-USPS liaison Howard Manly or me.