The first response to disaster is a local response. After September 11, 2001, this has never been more true. Thousands upon thousands of volunteers responded to the national tragedy providing sorely needed resources in numerous ways.

As a result of this spirit of volunteerism, the Bush administration set up the Citizen Corps. The MRC is a component of the Citizen Corps. The MRC brings together local health professionals and others to volunteer in their community. Trained volunteers assist regular medical response professionals during a large scale local emergency such as an influenza epidemic, a bioterrorism attack or other hazardous events. The DeKalb County MRC supplements community emergency response systems as well as contributes to meeting the public health needs of the community throughout the year.