Be Ready Alliance Coordinating for Emergencies

BRACE Committees offer a variety of ways for volunteers to beinvolved in the important work of prevention, mitigation, preparedness,response and recovery throughout our community. Choose the committee thatspeaks to your interests and experience - we can use your expertise. Leadershippositions are also available on each committee. Contact us at 850-444-7135 or [email protected] learn when and where your selected committee meets next and join us! Preparedness/Mitigation - Focused primarily onpreparedness education for the community, their main focus each Spring is acommunity education event. The Preparedness/Mitigation goal is to impact morekids with preparedness knowledge and skills training to create a culture of preparedness. There are two subcommittees that fall under thePreparedness/Mitigation Committee: Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)- The members of this Preparedness Subcommittee are CERT trained and/orinstructors. BRACEoffers free training periodically to anyone 14 years of ageand older. Thetraining teaches a neighbor-helping-neighbor philosophy. Duringan emergency,these individuals are not only trained to prepare, respond andrecover, butalso have the training to give aid to those living and workingaround them.Ideally, the committee should schedules classes, organizesinstructors, plantraining events, and recruit throughout the community forparticipants. Event Planning - In the Spring, the EventPlanning Subcommittee is formed under Partnership. These individuals focus onmaking the main BRACE event a success. Past EXPOs have been held at thePensacola Civic Center with attendance up to 4,000 people. This Event PlanningTeam also plans the Annual BRACE Organization Meeting (held in May or June eachyear). Partnership - Responsible for newpartner recruitment as well as fostering positive relationships with currentpartners, the Partnership Committee plans and executes quarterly partnermeetings that engage the interests of our 400+ partners as well as others inthe community. Homebound - This committee is focused on providing services tothe homebound population of the community. A homebound person is defined asanyone who is unable to evacuate unaided if a disaster should occur. BRACEmanages a database of previously-identified homebound individuals to ensurethem emergency access to services like food, water, transportation, roofcovering, medications and more. After Hurricane Ivan, this population wasgreatly forgotten; we are working to ensure they are not forgotten again. Faith-based - The goal of thiscommittee is to create interfaith communications for responding to andrecovering from community emergencies. BRACE maintains a list of currentfaith-based partners but is looking to increase it significantly. BRACE alsomanages a database of services provided by each church in the event of adisaster and how long after a disaster those services would be available.Churches are encouraged to take care of their own congregants first, and thenextend aid to the greater community. BRACE also offers a free Faith-based CERTprogram. You do not have to be a church leader to participate on this committee. Marketing - Produce mediareleases, letters to partners and a bimonthly newsletter; maintain all socialmedia; and manage the website. Marketing provides guidance to BRACE staff andassists each committee in preparing materials for presentations and mailings. Childcare - This team has created a shelter for the children offirst responders. In the past, policemen, firefighters, and other firstresponders were forced to choose between staying with their children during anemergency or showing up as required to keep their jobs. Many were fired forstaying home with their children. This shelter provides a safe place fordependents to be housed during a storm, so the first responders can focus onproviding aid to the community. BRACE holds an annual event to practice openingand running the shelter.