Citizen Corps/Fire Corps Funding and Authorization
State and local governments have embraced the concept of Citizen Corps to help provide better coordination between all groups involved in emergency response, from Neighborhood Watch groups to fire and police departments and organizations such as the Red Cross. They are developing the management capacity of the Councils, conducting public education, providing training for citizens, and engaging citizens through volunteer programs.
Citizen Corps grants help fund programs such as Fire Corps, Medical Reserve Corps, Neighborhood Watch, Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS), and Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) across the nation. Many VIPS, Medical Reserve Corps, and Fire Corps programs have received funding to cover costs associated with volunteer management, running background checks, providing training, or purchasing equipment or uniforms needed to run their program. Fire Corps promotes the use of citizen volunteers to enhance the capacity of fire and rescue departments by performing non-operational functions.
Citizen Corps received an appropriation of $13 million in FY 2010. The President’s FY 2011 Budget Request did not include a line item for Citizen Corps but indicated that it would be funded out of the State Homeland Security Grant (SHSG) Program account. The FY 2011 appropriations bill that was signed into law on April 15, 2011 provides $10 million for Citizen Corps. The President’s budget request for FY 2012 for Citizen Corps is $13 million. The House-passed FY 2012 Homeland Security Appropriations bill provides $1 billion to be split among various “state and local” grant programs, including Citizen Corps, rather than providing a specific appropriation amount.
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