Fire Corps Showcases Programs & Activities at Upcoming Trade Shows.

WASHINGTON -- Fire Corps, a newly formed program partner of Citizen Corps, will be showcasing its programs and activities at exhibits at five national fire industry trade shows. The first of these conferences will be the FDIC 2005 Show in Indianapolis in April. This will be followed by Fire Expo in May, Firehouse Expo in July, and the Fire Rescue International in August.

Launched in December 2004, Fire Corps is a program partner of Citizen Corps, a grassroots effort involving "citizen advocates" to help make communities across the United States better prepared for emergencies of all kinds. The mission of Fire Corps is to help fire departments expand existing programs - or assist in developing new programs - that recruit citizens who wish to donate their time and talents to support the fire service in non-operational roles.

The Fire Corps has established a web site (www.firecorps.org), where fire departments may register and be listed as having a Fire Corps program. Citizens use the site to learn about the Fire Corps program, and to search for departments in their area that have particular needs for assistance. Matching registered departments with interested citizen advocates brings a wide variety of skills and talents together in support of the fire service.

Shawn Stokes, Fire Corps' director, explains that non-operational roles filled by citizen advocates can include a variety of functions such as administrative support, life safety education, fundraising initiatives, canteen services, public relations, and even grant-writing support. "A teacher may wish to become involved in safety education. Or, a writer could help the fire department develop press releases and pitch them to the local media. The important thing is that these individuals provide support to the fire department in ways that allow department personnel to concentrate on their core duties of fighting fires and protecting the public," he notes.

Stokes stresses that is it not the intent of the Fire Corps program to replace current fire-fighting ranks with Fire Corps citizen advocates. "The objective is for citizens to supplement the department by performing non-operational support tasks, thus freeing up firefighters to focus on the tasks they're trained to perform," he emphasizes.

The Fire Corps will be exhibiting at the following national fire industry trade shows between April and August 2005:

FDIC 2005                     April 11 - 16, 2005
            Indianapolis, Indiana

            Fire Expo                     May 20 - 22, 2005
            Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

            Firehouse Expo                July 28 - 30, 2005
            Baltimore, Maryland

            Fire Rescue / International   August 11 - 14, 2005
            Denver, Colorado

In addition, Fire Corps plans to attend several 2005 state fire conventions, including the Virginia and North Carolina conventions.

Attendees at all of these conferences are invited to stop by the Fire Corps exhibit to learn about opportunities for tapping into the support of citizen advocates. Career, volunteer and combination fire departments are also encouraged to visit www.firecorps.org for additional information on the program, as well as to register their department as a Fire Corps participating fire company.

Launched in 2004, Fire Corps is a partnership between the International Association of Fire Chiefs' Volunteer and Combination Officers Section (IAFC / VCOS), the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), and the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA). Its mission is to help career, volunteer and combination fire departments supplement existing personnel resources by recruiting citizen advocates: "citizens helping the fire service." For more information on Fire Corps programs and activities, contact Shawn Stokes at 202-887-4809 or via e-mail at [e-mail].