The American Red Cross will hold Disaster Action Team Boot Camp sessions on Saturday, June 2 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday, June 16 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Franklin County Emergency Services building, 8146 NC-56 in Louisburg, NC.
Sessions are free of charge to Franklin, Warren, Vance and Granville County residents who are interested in being trained to respond to local disasters, such as house fires, on a volunteer basis. Attendance is required at both sessions to serve as a disaster response volunteer. Lunch will be provided to participants.
Jennifer VanGundy, senior volunteer specialist with the American Red Cross, was on WIZS’ Town Talk Thursday to provide details regarding the Disaster Action Team Boot Camp and its purpose.
“In this area, we are in need of Disaster Action Team members to help respond to single-family fires or small disasters,” said VanGundy. “365 days a year, we have volunteer teams that are on standby in the local community and are second on the scene of a disaster. Internally, we often refer to them as second responders.”
According to VanGundy, teams respond within a two-hour call time and go on site to evaluate the situation; address family needs including clothing, food, shelter, a place to sleep for the night; take documentation to start the family’s case; help with long-term care needs; identify the possible need for mental health and/or spiritual assistance.
Responding teams usually consist of two trained volunteers and a response driver. VanGundy’s goal is to have at least three or four volunteers from each of the four local counties participate in the boot camp sessions.
The American Red Cross recently started the faster-paced two-day boot camp training approach as a way to bring volunteers up to speed more quickly so they are ready to respond to disasters sooner.
At the two-session boot camp, participants will:
- Learn the Red Cross role and values for engaging with disaster clients, first responders, and the public
- Understand functions of the Disaster Action Team (DAT), and expectations for DAT workers on a response
- Discover roles a DAT member may perform on a large-scale disaster response
- Learn casework and recovery planning processes and the system used
- Learn how direct client assistance is issued and how referrals are made to community partners
- Complete training through a simulation drill, practicing the skills learned during the classroom sessions
- If desired, be assigned to a Disaster Action Team, and support the Red Cross in Franklin, Warren, Vance and Granville Counties
The local four-county area is part of 53 counties that make up the Eastern North Carolina region of the American Red Cross. VanGundy said the region averages eight disasters a day.
“Up to 94 percent of the American Red Cross workforce is volunteers,” VanGundy said. “Our disaster response team volunteers have gone out on Christmas Day, left their meals and left their families to respond to someone who has had a disaster happen in their home.”
VanGundy addressed the common concern volunteers have about being on-call, “We know the on-call part sometimes scares people. We understand that you have full-time jobs, children and other commitments.”
To make it easier for volunteers to communicate their availability, the American Red Cross now has an app that allows the Disaster Action Team member to select or “go” green when they are available and to “go” red when they are not available to respond to a call. “We do ask that volunteers go green more than they go red,” said VanGundy.
VanGundy believes that anyone who has a fairly flexible schedule and a desire to help others in need would make a good fit for the volunteer team, including retirees. “The only thing you need is to want to help in your own community and to have some flexibility in your schedule. Once you come in, we will provide the training you need and will have you ready to go by the end of the boot camp.”
For more information on the American Red Cross and volunteer opportunities, visit www.redcross.org and click the Volunteer tab. To participate in the June 2 and June 16 Disaster Action Team Boot Camp in Louisburg, please call Jennifer VanGundy at (919) 231-1602.