Get Involved
Join a Committee
BRACE Committees offer a variety of ways for volunteers to be involved in the important work of preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery throughout our community. Choose the committee that speaks to your interests and experience - we can use your expertise. Leadership positions are also available on each committee.
Contact brace@bereadyalliance.org or call 850-444-7135 to learn when and where your selected committee meets next and join us!
Preparedness/Mitigation – Focused primarily on preparedness education for the community, their main focus each Spring is a community education event. The Preparedness/Mitigation goal is to impact more kids with preparedness knowledge and skills training to create a culture of preparedness.
Subcommittees:
CERT – Community Emergency Response Team – The members of this Preparedness Subcommittee are CERT trained and/or instructors. BRACE offers free training monthly to anyone ages 12 and over. The training teaches a neighbor-helping-neighbor philosophy. During an emergency, these individuals are not only trained to prepare, respond and recover, but also have the training to give aid to those living and working around them. The committee schedules classes, organizes the instructors, plans a monthly training event, and recruits throughout the community for participants.Event Planning – In the Spring, the Event Planning Subcommittee is formed under Partnership. These individuals focus on making the main BRACE event a success. Past EXPOs have been held at the Pensacola Civic Center with attendance up to 4000 people. This Event Planning team also plans the Annual BRACE Organization Meeting (held in May or June each year).
Partnership – Responsible for new partner recruitment as well as fostering positive relationships with current partners, the Partnership Committee plans and executes quarterly partner meetings that engage the interests of our 400+ partners as well as others in the community.
Homebound – This committee is focused on providing services to the homebound population of the community. A homebound person is defined as anyone who is unable to evacuate unaided if a disaster should occur. BRACE manages a database of previously-identified homebound individuals to ensure them emergency access to services like food, water, transportation, roof covering, medications and more. After Hurricane Ivan, this population was greatly forgotten; we are working to ensure they are not forgotten again.
Faith-based – The goal of this committee is to create interfaith communications for responding to and recovering from community emergencies. BRACE maintains a list of current faith-based partners but is looking to increase it significantly. BRACE also manages a database of services provided by each church in the event of a disaster and how long after a disaster those services would be available. Churches are encouraged to take care of their own congregants first, and then extend aid to the greater community. BRACE also offers a free Faith-based CERT program. You do not have to be a church leader to participate on this committee.
Marketing – Produce media releases, letters to partners and a bimonthly newsletter; maintain all social media; and manage the website. Marketing provides guidance to BRACE staff and assists each committee in preparing materials for presentations and mailings.
Childcare – This team has created a shelter for the children of first responders. In the past, policemen, firefighters, and other first responders were forced to choose between staying with their children during an emergency or showing up as required to keep their jobs. Many were fired for staying home with their children. This shelter provides a safe place for dependents to be housed during a storm, so the first responders can focus on providing aid to the community. BRACE holds an annual event to practice opening and running the shelter.