According to the Virginia State Animal Response Team (SART) "CARTs are the grassroots level responders in an emergency in which an organized response to meet the needs of animals is required and are components of a State Animal Response Team." In other words, the CART program is a network of animal and animal-agricultural resouces that are available for planning, prevention, protection, mobilization, response, and recovery related to emergency incidents within their community.

Locally there are two formal CART programs, contact information below.

• Chesapeake: Contact Suzie Parsons at 757-382-6504 or sparsons@cityofchesapeake.net for more information.
• Hampton: Contact Tanis Mowery at 757-826-6212 or Rogleem@aol.com for more information.

When danger calls, the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is ready to answer. As a member of CERT, you'll gain the skill and confidence to help others in situations when professional responders can't get there immediately. The skills you learn can make a world of difference in a crisis. CERT trains members in basic disaster response skills including:

• fire safety
• light search and rescue
• team organization
• disaster medical operations

Also, by helping the community stay prepared for anything that could happen, CERT members provide a strong source of support for emergency response agencies.

The Fire and EMS departments answer a lot of calls every day. Some of those are about putting out fires, while others are about making sure those fires never have a chance to start. And the Fire Corps is there to help with direct support for fire and EMS, as well as non-emergency initiatives. Become a member of the Fire Corps, and you can:

• help local fire and EMS departments start and promote volunteer programs
• educate your community on fire prevention and safety
• provide rehab or canteen service to first responders
• assist with administrative work, fund raising, planning, and more

The Virginia Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is a force of dedicated volunteers who support the community in the event of a public health emergency. Each of the 9 MRC units in Hampton Roads is comprised of teams of medical and public health professionals who, along with interested community members, volunteer their skills, expertise and time to support ongoing public health initiatives and assist during emergencies. If you are a medical or public health professional, or just interested in volunteering, MRC is a way to offer your skills, expertise, and time to support:

• health education and preventative screenings
• efforts to provide medical services to at-risk populations
• communicable disease outbreak response
• volunteer emergency preparedness training and exercises
• local, state and national response to terrorist attacks and disasters, such as medical services, emergency shelters, mental health outreach, medication/vaccination dispensing sites, disease investigations, and environmental health efforts for food and human safety.

The most exciting part of any good hero story is fighting villains. As a member of your local Neighborhood Watch program, you get to do just that. Working together with your neighbors, you can make your community a place criminals will fear to tread. The Neighborhood Watch program:

• encourages citizens to be the eyes and ears of law enforcement
• allows citizens to help in the fight against crime
• creates opportunities for communities to bond through service

Your local law enforcement officers perform a lot of heroic deeds. But you don't have to carry a badge to make your community a safer place to live. As part of the Volunteers In Police Service (VIPS) program, there are many ways you can contribute. Here are just a few:

• aid law enforcement in search and rescue, training, disaster response, crime prevention, and more
• protect your community through activities like citizen patrols and youth programs
• help create new volunteer programs for state and local agencies
• help to increase the use of volunteers in existing programs