Goals & Objectives

1) Empower First Responders Worldwide – Modelled after the highly successful Congressional Fire Services Caucus and Institute (CFSI), One World for Life (OWFL) has the primary purpose of empowering First Responders worldwide. Varying from country to country, First Responders may be defined as paid law enforcement, firefighters, military personnel, militia, and/or, in most cases, trained and untrained volunteers. In the United States, for example, the majority of the 32,000 Fire and EMS Departments are fully-volunteer or partly-volunteer. Most of these organizations are independent 501(c)3 non-profits operating independently of government and unifying organizations. When disasters occur, anywhere in the world, First Responders make themselves available to support the efforts of other First Responders. But there is a pressing need to assist these First Responders :

• Create a First Responder Repository and establish a network (real and virtual) of our First Responders worldwide
• Establish First Responder “Points of Contact” in every nation
• Arrange an Annual International Forum and Dinner providing operational “lessons learned”, specialty networking and recognizing leadership for outstanding effort
• Conduct OWFL sub-sessions, on a regional basis, worldwide focusing on specific types of natural and man-made disasters
• Empower First Responder interface with world NGOs – such as the UN, Red Cross, as well as dozens of International Disaster and Relief Organizations
• Explore and create regional and specialty alliances among First Responders worldwide
• Generate updated Inventory and empower surplus emergency equipment worldwide, as needed
• Pre-plan necessary inventories of resources as identified by First Responders
• Create direct relationships and networks between First Responders and Government Disaster Leadership (whether elected or appointed)

2) Identify and leverage appropriate military and civilian technology to predict and prevent disasters, enhance response and recovery, mitigate severity of loss, enhance protection and safety for First Responders and enhance recovery operations:

• Identify and inventory existing dual-use technologies worldwide
• Identify Laboratory and University-based Research potentially impacting disaster prediction, prevention, response, mitigation and recovery
• Identify commercially available technology potentially impacting disaster prediction, prevention, response, mitigation and recovery
• Enable new international and regional capabilities derived from the above technologies
• Identify and catalog dual-use modelling and simulation programs to enhance disaster success
• Virtually engage First Responder Groups and Associations worldwide (AGVE)
• Generate web networks for First Responders (Fire/Rescue TV)
• Connect First Responders using real-time social media networks
• Identify First Responder requirements and technology needs worldwide and submit to governments for their response and action

In addition, OWFL will seek to establish interfaces between locally based community organizations to establish First Responder awareness and support groups worldwide (modelled after the US National network of 1100 Community Action Agencies).

OWFL will establish formal First Responder Recognition Programs through organizations, such as the Knights of Malta, Nobel Family Networks and other entities.

OWFL will include First Responders in every nation worldwide—period.