The Citizen Corps is looking for a few good volunteers. The new Concordia Parish agency is being organized under the parish office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

The group, similar to the Community Emergency Response Team in Adams County, will be called upon to respond in case of crises such as natural disasters, fires, accidents or even terror attacks.

Training for the positions on the Citizen Corps would last about a year.

While we certainly hope the group would never be called upon, it’s likely the parish will need the volunteers’ help at some point &045; maybe not to respond to a terrorist attack but to respond to other events that threaten our safety and security.

In those cases, it’s comforting to know that current law enforcement and emergency personnel would be supplemented by trained volunteers.

The first training activity will be a CPR/First Aid class, which is something everyone should be familiar with anyway.

The Citizen Corps is also an opportunity to bring together members from all over the parish &045; not just Vidalia and Ferriday but the farthest corners of Concordia.

But right now, the group needs those volunteers to step up and agree to serve. A six-member board is planning to begin a membership drive for the Citizen Corps this summer.

If you are interested in volunteering, call the Concordia Parish Civil Defense office.