ATTEnTIOn
all Reserve Retirees:
As you may know Rear Adm. John Acton (ret.) and I are your co-chairs for the
Commandant of the Coast Guard National Retiree Council. Over the last several
months, with the blessing of the Commandant and the assistance of our Retiree
Services Program Manager Mr. Bob Hinds, we have been working with FEMA on an
opportunity that I hope many of you will be interested in. It is called the U.S. Coast
Guard Retiree to FEMA Reservist Initiative. (https://fema.gov/information-
employees/us-coast-guard-retiree-fema-reservist-initiative)
Throughout my CG career I took pride in the fact that the organization that I
was a part of was a humanitarian service. Saving lives and helping others initially
attracted me to the CG and it is largely why I stayed with our organization for 32
years. Now I am retired and I am still interested in service to my fellow citizens
and with that in mind I believe that most of you are also. We have worked with
FEMA to create a unique and exciting opportunity for retirees called the U.S. Coast
Guard Retiree to FEMA Reservist Initiative. If you are fully or even semi-retired
and you have a flexible schedule this part-time opportunity may be for you.
FEMA's Reservists are the backbone of FEMA's disaster workforce. Under the
new program if you apply and are accepted you can become a part-time FEMA
employee and continue to serve the nation by assisting citizens and first responders
during disasters or emergency situations. In addition, during deployments, your
travel expenses will be covered and you will be paid as a FEMA employee.
As a retired Coast Guard member you have special skills and experiences. Many
of those special skills and experiences correlate closely with the skills needed to
be a FEMA Reservist. Again, FEMA Reservists work on a part-time basis and are
called up during a disaster to augment staffing requirements in support of disaster
operations.
Within this issue of Reservist you will find additional information about this
program. In addition FEMA has modified their website to include a section
dedicated to the recruitment of Coast Guard Retirees for this exciting program.
If you still have questions after you have looked through the information please
feel free to contact me. My email address is charles.w.bowen10@gmail.com.
I believe that this will be a great opportunity for retirees to continue to serve…
but on a flexible, part time basis.
MCPOCG Skip Bowen (ret.)
Why Join?
As a part of FEMA's disaster
workforce, Reservists serve the nation
by assisting citizens and first responders
during disasters or emergency
situations. As a Reservist you will have
the opportunity to train, gain experience,
and become qualified in a specific
disaster role. Being a Reservist allows
you to assist in the coordinated response
and recovery efforts of impacted
citizens, communities, local, tribal,
territorial, and state governments.
How to apply
To apply, simply visit www.fema.gov
and search for "Reservist Program."
From there, select U.S. Coast Guard
Retiree to FEMA Reservist Initiative and
you will be guided to information on the
program, program requirements and
position descriptions. Interested
participants can then select a cadre
which matches their skills and
experience.
Once a cadre is selected, participants
will have the opportunity to express
their interest in joining the U.S. Coast
Guard Retiree to FEMA Reservist
Initiative as a potential member of the
selected cadre and submit their resume.
Then a cadre representative will contact
potential members with additional
information and explain the next steps
in the selection process.
To learn more about the Reservist-
Coast Guard Initiative, visit
https://fema.gov/information-
employees/us-coast-guard-retiree-
fema-reservist-initiative.
Or contact:
FEMA Call Center:
Phone: 855-377-FEMA (3362)
Email: FEMA-IWMO-Program@
Fema.dhs.gov
Incident Workforce Management
Division Front Office:
Email: IWMDFrontOffice@Fema.
dhs.gov
Issue 1 • 2015 � RESERVIST 41