Mission

The mission of Community Outreach Promoting Emergency Preparedness, COPE Preparedness is:
“Promoting Emergency Preparedness through Proactive Community Outreach”

COPE Preparedness Goals are to:

• Research what is being done to protect the community and ensure that community stakeholders are informed, educated, and ready to survive emergencies and/or disasters;
• Reinforce all existing public emergency management programs provided by City, County, State and Federal governmental bodies;
• Engage participation towards the fulfillment of our mission with industry professionals, community leaders and concerned citizens;
• Develop and maintain a community model of preparedness that can be utilized and duplicated in other communities;
• Utilize the non-profit structure to bring resources to community preparedness programs and initiatives;
• Create and maintain a sense of urgency that emergency preparedness is of vital importance to community households, businesses and individuals; and
• Reinforce the importance of “individual responsibility” promoting the concept that each person or entity has a role in preparedness;

COPE Preparedness Objectives are to:

• Offer content driven multi-page web site at www.COPE-Preparedness.org .   Web site will be designed to provide updated emergency management information.  Postings can be made by vetted industry professionals, COPE Preparedness Board Members and committee members.  Web site will include: a community awareness and disaster preparedness program, links to important industry, government and community resources.  The COPE Web site will be collaborative in nature and supportive of preparedness programs and partners.
• COPE Preparedness Newsletters will be sent to distribution lists to provide pertinent new information and provide information about training programs.
• Community Preparedness Training Programs will be provided to interested community groups.  COPE Preparedness is able to provide the Map Your Neighborhood (MYN) program to train households in a 9-step “block by block” preparedness program.
• Build a data base of emails of interested individuals to promote preparedness.  Emergency communications via email and phone trees can assist first responder communication efforts.  Expanded offerings to include the ability for people to log in to list their skills, supplies and other resources to encourage volunteer participation.
• Provide access to emergency preparedness supplies: to be provided through the website to community members.  Use grant/donor dollars to provide FREE emergency supplies to low income households and community nonprofits in need.
• Compile list of human and supply resources within the community and make this available on the web site.   Map community and divide into sections then conduct a block to block neighborhood resource campaign utilize Neighborhood Watch volunteers and Homeowners Associations.  Focus efforts on block by block orientations and identification of resources as well as infirm, elderly and others special need individuals.
• Present the COPE Preparedness disaster awareness and preparedness presentation to schools, churches, neighborhood council meetings, local television.
• Aggregate information from websites: relating to disaster preparedness.
• Outreach to all community stakeholders including low-income and Hispanic populations through bi-lingual products/publications/presentations.
• Represent the community via participation in first responder, elected official and community based emergency planning meetings, forums and events.

COPE Preparedness has a positive history of commitment.  Our accomplishments, leadership and motivation have been established.   COPE Preparedness will continue to act today to save lives tomorrow.