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Campaign Update: National First Responder Appreciation Day
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
 We are well on our way to making September 25th National First Responder Appreciation Day! In just three short weeks: - Over 3,300 people have signed the on-line petition.
- More than 700 people have asked over 3,000 of their friends, family members and colleagues to support the cause.
- The campaign has received national attention, including radio interviews in Miami, Los Angeles and Washington, DC ( click here to hear the DC radio interview). Our hard work is paying off but we still have a long way to go. We need 22,000 more signatures, and we really need your help to make it happen. Here's what you can do: - Sign the petition today if you haven't done so already. - Tell your friends that we need their help and that we need it right away. - Download our action kit and urge others in your community, especially your first responders, to support the cause. - Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper urging your neighbors to sign the petition for a National First Responder Appreciation Day. Thanks for all of your support. With your continued help we can give our first responders the national day of appreciation that they deserve!
Saturday, February 24, 2007
So you've signed petition and asked some of your friends to support it, and we can't thank you enough for getting over 3,300 signatures in just three short weeks. Now we are asking you to download our Action Kit, so you can spread the word throughout your community.
The Action Kit includes a list of things you can do in your community to help make Stepember 22 National First Responder Appreciation Day, and free materials which you can provide to your friends, neighbors, family members and local first responders.
Click here to download the National First Responder Appreciation Day Action Kit (includes all items listed below):
PRINTABLE PETITION: Circulate this petition among your friends, family, neighbors and neighborhood first responders. When you're done, you can send the petition to the FRC, where we will add the names to the growing list of supporters for the National First Responder Appreciation Day. Right-click here to download (PDF).
BOOKMARKS: Give bookmarks to your friends or stick them in your favorite books at the local library or bookstore. Right-click here to download (PDF).
DOORHANGERS: Take a walk through your neighborhood and leave these hanging on your neighbor's doors. Be sure to drop by your local fire, police or EMS station, too! You can also show your support by hanging them on your door at work. Right-click here to download (PDF).
STICKERS: Download and print these stickers on a blank Avery label sheet and then share them with your friends, neighbors and local first responders. Help spread the word by putting stickers on public bulletin boards at your local church, school or community center. Right-click here to download (PDF).
BANNERS: Post these online banner ads on your personal Web pages (PDF). Simply copy the code and paste them onto your personal Web site, blog, MySpace or Facebook profiles.
SEND A LETTER TO YOUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER in support of this very worthwhile cause. Click here to learn how. Thank you once again for your continuous support!
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Don't think first responders deserve a national day of appreciation? NBC's coverage last night of the challenges New Orleans firefighters continue to face in the wake of Hurricane Katrina makes clear that it's the very least we could do. (Click on the photo below to watch the video.)
Please join us in helping to make September 25th "National First Responder Appreciation Day" by visiting the FRC website and signing the petition.
By signing the petition for a "National First Responder Appreciation Day," and spreading the word to others who care about first responders, you can tell Congress that if catfish deserve a national day of recognition, then surely those who keep us safe and out of harm's way deserve at least the same.
Bush-Whacked!
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
If George "You're doing a heck of a job, Brownie" Bush has his way, first responders will suffer significant cuts in funding for education, training and funding, "despite the fact that his own advisory council recommended improving exercising and training after Hurricane Katrina in 2005" ( see "The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina: Lessons Learned," Recommendations 104 - 111). According to CQ, under the proposed budget, " First-responder funding for preparedness and response programs for law enforcement, firefighter and emergency response agencies would see a 33.2 percent decrease from what Congress appropriated in fiscal 2007." "Lesson learned?" I think not...
Thursday, February 01, 2007
We're taking the campaign to designate September 25 as National First Responder Appreciation Day to the people!To help call attention to the need for a national day of recognition, we have created an on-line video which captures the public's shock and dismay when they learn that CATFISH, TV DINNERS, and ICE CREAM all have national days of appreciation... but not our first responders! Click the image below to watch the video. After you've watched the video and signed the petition, forward the video link to as many people as you know!It's a travesty that a mud-sucking fish should have a national day of recognition, but not our heroic first responders. With your help, we can give first responders the national day of recognition they deserve. Sign the petition today!
Former DHS Secy. Calls for a National Strategy/Date Certain
You've heard me say over and over again that this country needs 1) a national emergency communications strategy and, as part of that strategy, 2) to establish a "date certain" by which to achieve seamless interoperable communications.Last June, I wrote a letter to the White House calling on the President to take a cue from JFK and, before the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, commit to a "target date" by which to achieve national emergency communications interoperability within the next decade. FRC supporters have sent nearly 1,000 letters to their elected officials in support of the FRC's call for a "date certain," urging Congress to make resolution of the communications crisis a national priority. I've made numerous personal visits to Congressional offices and urged them to work with other offices in support of a "date certain." Even Mary Fetchet, who founded "Voices of September 11" after her son was killed in the 9/11 attacks, agrees with the FRC. She even testified before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security that "a firm date for nationwide interoperability must be set by the Department of Homeland Security." Despite these efforts, it has largely been for naught. The Administration never replied to my letter (I don't think they're big on timetables). And nearly all Congressional interest in a national strategy or a "date certain" was lost in the run-up to the 2006 elections. Just when I thought there was no hope left, I find the following blurb in CongressDaily: Former department Deputy Secretary and retired Coast Guard Adm. James Loy said Congress should require the department to develop a strategic plan for what it wants to accomplish by 2020 and how to accomplish those goals, something similar to what the Defense Department must do.
He said he was frustrated when he left the department in 2005 and remains frustrated that Homeland Security has not done more to improve interoperable communications. "The challenge with respect to interoperable communications is probably the most dramatically identified challenge that we've had on the table" since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, he said.
He noted that Congress set firm deadlines and mandates for the department to meet with regard to aviation security in the aftermath of 9/11.The Admiral is absolutely right. We need a strategic plan for interoperability, and we need to set firm deadlines. By harnessing the good work that already exists in the numerous interoperability programs and focusing on the common target of full interoperability, we can achieve interoperability well before 2020.
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