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Join the DHS First Responder Communities of Practice

Published Date: 01.09.2012

Volunteer firefighters and EMS providers are encouraged to join the Volunteer Fire Service Community on the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) First Responder Communities of Practice. The Volunteer Fire Service Community provides a clearinghouse of timely information pertinent to the needs of leaders in the volunteer fire and EMS service.
 
First Responder Communities of Practice, established by the DHS Science and Technology Directorate, is the country’s premiere online collaboration platform for the public safety and homeland security community. Members use the web site, located at https://Communities.FirstResponder.gov, to discuss emergency preparedness, response, recovery, and other homeland security issues across disciplines, jurisdictions, agencies, and sectors. For more information, please click these links:  FRCOP Fact Sheet sheet and “Top Ten Reasons to Join DHS First Responder Communities of Practice.”

The First Responder Communities of Practice team vets all new users to ensure the authenticity of members and to keep the focus of the site on homeland security, emergency preparedness, response, and recovery. All prospective members must provide an eligible sponsor. If you are a first responder, you may use a fellow first responder or government employee. All other potential members must provide the name of a government employee as their sponsor.

What Can You Do on First Responder Communities of Practice?
 

• Join and create Communities that interest you
• Collaborate on wikis, blogs, and discussion boards
• Find, share, and store documents and best practices
• Create and search profiles
• Connect, chat, and email with other professionals

Who Can Join?

• First responders
• Public health and medical professionals
• Members of the following groups, if engaged in homeland security:
  • Government employees and government-sponsored contractors
  • Academic professionals and students
  • Employees of nongovernmental organizations
  • Government-sponsored volunteers

Other Communities include (for a full list, please visit www.Communities.FirstResponder.Gov):

• The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Community: Open Community of Practice to post Emergency Medical Services related information and encourage collaboration using the threaded discussions, wikis, and blogs.
• The Fire and Rescue Community: Open Community of Practice to post Fire and Rescue related information and encourage collaboration using threaded discussions, wikis, and blogs.
• The National Wildland Fire Coordination Group Community:  A community for wildland fire fighters to access and share critical information in a secure easy to use web portal.

Web Site Demonstrations Available

The First Responder Communities of Practice team provides demonstrations for groups on how to effectively use the site’s many features. The team recently demonstrated the Communities of Practice web site to 32 practitioners from across the country involved in the Virtual USA program, explaining how to use the site’s online collaboration and networking features. Virtual USA is an innovative information-sharing system that helps local, state, tribal, and federal first responders work with all levels of government. To schedule a web site demonstration like this, e-mail RTech@DHS.gov.

About the First Responder Technologies Program

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate’s (S&T) First Responder Technologies (R-Tech) program works to protect America against terrorism and disasters by providing first responder solutions for high-priority capability gaps through rapid prototyping, technical assistance, and information sharing to save lives and maximize preparedness.

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