Citizens keep watch on skies, chemical plants

They're America's new home-front warriors.

They're starting Neighborhood Watch groups, training in "disaster preparedness," or volunteering to do office work at police stations.

Legions of citizens are discovering ways to "do their part" for homeland security, thus helping transform America into a newly vigilant nation – and sparking a revival of patriotic volunteerism, echoing the air-raid wardens and bandage rollers of World War II.

Ranging from retirees to recent grads, these active citizens are less visible than frontline "first responders," but perhaps just as crucial:

• Retired chemical-company manager Bernie Saydlowski leads teams of gray-haired gumshoes through Delaware brownfields and chemical plants as they keep watch for weak security and suspicious activities.

• Government lawyer Frank Sprtel, who, before Sept. 11, figured he was too busy to pursue his long-time love of flying, is now training with the Civil Air Patrol – to pilot a tiny Cessna on search-and-rescue missions.

• St. Louis 20-something Emily Kunz trains now-eager citizens in disaster-survival skills. "People used to say, 'Oh, yeah, you're in disaster prep – yada, yada, yada,' " she says, chuckling. "Now they want to know all about the vocabulary and the skills."

Such commitments of time and talent reflect a desire, shared by thousands of Americans, to keep their country from being blindsided again by cunning terrorists.

The efforts have been regularly encouraged by President Bush. "If you're interested in doing something for your country," he said this week, "help somebody in need, write a check, give your time, volunteer."

His administration is suddenly promoting an alphabet soup of volunteer organizations – and many have a homeland-security bent: Citizen Corps, Neighborhood Watch groups, the Volunteers In Police Service program, the Medical Reserve Corps, and more.

And it's having an effect: The new Citizen Corps, which focuses specifically on homeland security, has signed up more than 18,000 people, for example.

Skeptics worry that groups like Neighborhood Watch will become excuses for nosy neighbors to pry – or discriminate against Arab Americans. They also wonder if the frenetic volunteerism actually boosts security. Defenders counter that every little bit helps – and that in an era of biological and nuclear weapons, one person raising questions about suspicious behavior could save many lives.

As for Mr. Sprtel, he traces his love of flying to the fact that both of his grandfathers were pilots in World War II.

But it took the events of Sept. 11 to jolt him into action. "It was a catalyst," he says. Yet the air patrol is more than a hobby: He wants to be ready to respond after any future terror attacks. And "in order to participate in a meaningful way, you have to have the requisite training." So most weekends, he spit-shines his skills with a College Park, Md., squadron – including flying in its red, white, and blue Cessna to practice search methods.

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