VIDALIA, La. &045; A newly formed federal agency in Concordia Parish hopes to lighten the load on law enforcement officers, emergency technicians, firefighters and medics in the case of a disaster in the parish.

The Citizens Corps, which falls under the jurisdiction of the police jury, is in the formation stages, but goals for the future are set.

So far, the corps has a six-person board and will elect a chairman at the next meeting. The group is being organized through the parish office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

After proper training, volunteers from all over the parish will be called upon to respond in case of a crisis. The Citizen Corps will include a Community Emergency Response Team, and will have training to respond to natural disasters, accidents, fires or terrorist attacks.

The Corps will start a membership drive this summer.

&uot;(We want) anybody that has a desire to serve his fellow man and the public,&uot; said Morris White, director of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

Professionals from local emergency response teams will provide training to the volunteers.

The whole process will take more than a year, White said.

&uot;It’s important that you take your time and see that these people are trained properly,&uot; he said. &uot;We’ll train in different groups then bring all the groups together. It’s going to be a long, hot summer.

&uot;To get it to full strength and get it to where it needs to be we are looking at two to three years. It’s not going to happen overnight.&uot;

Board member Frank Smith said he wants to see people from all parish areas join the Corps. The group will serve the whole parish, including the farthest ends below Monterey and past Ferriday.

&uot;I think it would bring the parish together,&uot; Smith said. &uot;To get these teams studying together, being trained together, I think it would help draw us together as a parish.&uot;

Part of the training offered will be a CPR/first aid class.

&uot;I’d love for the whole parish to take a CPR/first aid class,&uot; Smith said. &uot;You don’t know when you might could help somebody.&uot;

Smith said part of an upcoming media blitz about the Corps would include trips to schools and community clubs to spread the word. Older high school students can be on the team.

The Corps has received federal grant dollars to buy a computer and equipment to be used in training presentations.

&uot;It’s going to be something that’s never been tried over here,&uot; White said of the Corps. &uot;But we’ve had a lot of first ones over here.&uot;