The National Council on Readiness and Preparedness (NCORP) has launched the ReadyAmerica Initiative to help identify best practices and new ideas that leverage local community and private sector assets through innovative public/private partnerships, bringing people, services and assets into the public sector preparedness and response planning to build the community surge capacity needed until federal and state assistance arrives.

One tool to help accomplish this is the Essential Public Network , a federal-ready network developed by NCORP, ESP Group and its partners that enables local communities to link together their public and private sector assets and volunteers in a network accessible by local sector leaders. The EPN will allow people to communicate, train, prepare and manage crisis. It also will enable a two-way exchange with the state and federal governments to share information vital to response and recovery.

CCROA charter members will sponsor the cost and maintenance of establishing an EPN network in a community, and work through the local mayor or county executive to recruit the key sector representatives in that community to join EPN and participate in planning, training and cataloging assets, capabilities and volunteers. A variety of tools will be included on the EPN that allow each community to tailor their asset catalog and communication network to their own particular situation.

The registered members in the pilot who participate will be listed on a database called the National Community Asset Network (see NSCAN), managed by Battelle Memorial Institute in partnership with the Federal Protective Service and National Joint Terrorism Task Force (NJTTF).

NCORP and CCROA will establish cogs throughout America's communities by working with ESRI, Siemens, ESP Group, Battelle Memorial Institute, BAE Systems and other organizations in partnership with the local, state and federal governments.