National Emergency Technology Guard
Encyclopedia
The National Emergency Technology Guard (NETGuard) is a corps of volunteers
with technology experience that help out after disasters in the United States
. NETGuard is part of the Citizen Corps
under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA). FEMA has designated $320,000 available for the program in fiscal year 2008.
The role of NETGuard teams would be to repair downed communications systems, restore computer operations and create new systems to aid support and recovery efforts. Volunteers would receive training periodically, like members of the National Guard, and would have a clear chain of command to coordinate efforts. In addition, NetGuard would be responsible for maintaining a strategic reserve of equipment -- like cellphones, switches, computers and satellite dishes -- that could be deployed on short notice. The corps can also maintain a database of volunteers with professional expertise, such as those with knowledge of smallpox or technology professionals with knowledge of computer viruses.
Democratic
Senator Ron Wyden
, who chairs the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee (on Science, Technology, and Space) and Virginia
Republican
Senator George Allen
(R-Virginia) first proposed the initiative in 2002 in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. They introduced the idea in the Science and Technology Emergency Mobilization Act, which was later incorporated into the bill that created the Department of Homeland Security. However, NETGuard was not yet created. Finally, June 18, 2008, FEMA announced it was starting the NETGuard program.
; the city of Chesapeake, Virginia
; Cottonwood Heights, Utah
; and Hamilton County, Indiana
.
Volunteering
Volunteering is generally considered an altruistic activity, intended to promote good or improve human quality of life, but people also volunteer for their own skill development, to meet others, to make contacts for possible employment, to have fun, and a variety of other reasons that could be...
with technology experience that help out after disasters in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. NETGuard is part of the Citizen Corps
Citizen Corps
Citizen Corps is a United States national service program under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security that seeks to mobilize the population of the country against threats to national security as well as to assist in the recovery after a disaster or terrorist attack...
under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
(FEMA). FEMA has designated $320,000 available for the program in fiscal year 2008.
The role of NETGuard teams would be to repair downed communications systems, restore computer operations and create new systems to aid support and recovery efforts. Volunteers would receive training periodically, like members of the National Guard, and would have a clear chain of command to coordinate efforts. In addition, NetGuard would be responsible for maintaining a strategic reserve of equipment -- like cellphones, switches, computers and satellite dishes -- that could be deployed on short notice. The corps can also maintain a database of volunteers with professional expertise, such as those with knowledge of smallpox or technology professionals with knowledge of computer viruses.
History
OregonOregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Senator Ron Wyden
Ron Wyden
Ronald Lee "Ron" Wyden is the senior U.S. Senator for Oregon, serving since 1996, and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the United States House of Representatives from 1981 to 1996....
, who chairs the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee (on Science, Technology, and Space) and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Senator George Allen
George Allen (U.S. politician)
George Felix Allen is a former United States Senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the son of former NFL head coach George Allen. Allen served Virginia in the state legislature, as the 67th Governor, and in both bodies of the U.S. Congress, winning election to the Senate in 2000...
(R-Virginia) first proposed the initiative in 2002 in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. They introduced the idea in the Science and Technology Emergency Mobilization Act, which was later incorporated into the bill that created the Department of Homeland Security. However, NETGuard was not yet created. Finally, June 18, 2008, FEMA announced it was starting the NETGuard program.
NETGuard teams
Net Guard teams are composed of volunteers with information technology (IT) and communications expertise. Teams are a local asset, managed at the local level, and deployed in response to a request from local or State authorities.2008 teams
FEMA announced September 17 that it was granting four districts $80,000 each to start a pilot program: the city of Austin, TexasAustin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
; the city of Chesapeake, Virginia
Chesapeake, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 199,184 people, 69,900 households, and 54,172 families residing in the city. The population density was 584.6 people per square mile . There were 72,672 housing units at an average density of 213.3 per square mile...
; Cottonwood Heights, Utah
Cottonwood Heights, Utah
Cottonwood Heights is a city located in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States, along the east bench of the Salt Lake Valley. It lies south of the cities of Holladay and Murray, east of Midvale, and north of Sandy within the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. Following a successful...
; and Hamilton County, Indiana
Hamilton County, Indiana
Hamilton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. Census 2010 recorded a population of 274,569. The county seat is Noblesville....
.