Volunteering with the Red Cross

THE AMERICAN RED CROSS

WHAT DOES THE AMERICAN RED CROSS DO?

According to their mission statement, the American Red Cross "prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors."

Their vision statement and principles are nothing short of herculean.  And 96% of this organization is made up of volunteers.  VOLUNTEERS!  Impressed?  I was.  So, I signed up. 

DISASTER RESPONSE VOLUNTEERING

On October 29th, Hurricane Sandy plowed onto land just south of Atlantic City, New Jersey.  The mess it left behind was sobering.

This was someone's life.  Gone.  Overnight.  Photo by Les Stone/American Red Cross 

Several volunteer organizations rushed in to help the people of New York and New Jersey.  Many of those were American Red Cross volunteers.  Most of them were from other states, flown or bussed in to work their missions. They worked tirelessly to bring a sense of order to the chaos after the storm.  

November 5, 2012. The Red Cross has deployed hundreds of emergency response vehicles and rented trucks to storm-ravaged neighborhoods along the East Coast -- particularly in coastal communities such as Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey -- where residents are dragging their ruined belongings to the curb. Bulk supplies include such things as bottled water, heater meals, snacks, trash bags, work gloves, dust masks, clean-up kits, blankets, sweatshirts and diapers. Photo by Les Stone/American Red Cross

Many volunteers worked into the chilly nights to feed and cloth people.  America had to get back on its feet! While power companies from several states worked to restore power, the American Red Cross volunteers worked to help victims climb back up Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs so that they could start putting their lives back together. 

November 5, 2012. Long Island, New York. The Red Cross vehicles are loaded with fresh fruit and hot meals for the nightly dinner run. Photo by Jason Colston/American Red Cross 

After a few weeks of shelter life, with the support of volunteers, these families were able to piece their lives together as best they could.  

If any of you has lived through a disaster, you know how amazing it feels to get clean clothes, or take a shower, or eat a hot meal.    If you received these things, and remember how thankful you were to that volunteer, you understand how powerful it is to donate time to help people who have lost everything. 

Add November 5, 2012. Long Island, New York. Jareal "DJ" Phillips of Long Beach, New York, is living in the Nassau Community College Red Cross Shelter with his family. They've been there 8 days so far.
Photo by Jason Colston/American Red Cross  caption

November 8, 2012. Mahwah, New Jersey. Steve Beigel, Red Cross volunteer and clown, brings cheer to a Northern New Jersey Red Cross shelter that took in victims of Hurricane Sandy from some of the hardest hit areas in New Jersey including Moonachie. Here, he entertains five-year-old Sarah Buckman who is staying in the shelter with her mother.
Photo by Talia Frenkel/American Red Cross. 

MY VOLUNTEER JOB

I am training to be a disaster public affairs volunteer with the American Red Cross.  My job, when called to action, will mirror, almost exactly, what I do as a Combat Camera reservist.  Documentation, collecting interviews, captioning media, and submitting it to their central server in a field environment.  Most of these volunteers are professional journalists and photographers.  They love combat camera types.  They would pay my way out there and back.  I will also get a per diem (daily allowance) for food and whatnots.  I may be sleeping in odd places, since I will be working in a disaster zone, but I'm not squeemish about that one bit, considering my military experience.

Red Cross volunteers walk through the aftermath of a tornado that leveled most structures in rural Henryville, Ind., recently. The Red Cross responded to all of the tornados that damaged many areas of the mid-America states, helping the victims with shelters, food and comfort in light of their losses. Photo: Daniel Cima/American Red Cross 

November 8, 2012. Long Island, New York. Red Cross emergency vehicles travel through Long Beach, New York, handing out meals and water to the residents. Photo by Jason Colston/American Red Cross 

I also help promote the organization by blogging about it on social media.  It's not as intense as the disaster duty but it is crucial.  96% of the American Red Cross is staffed by volunteers.  They need people like me to spread the word and attract volunteers.  This is called being a "digital advocate" 

Disaster response jobs are not the only type of job volunteers staff.  When I gave blood last month, the little old lady who monitored me after I donated was a volunteer.  She said she had been a volunteer for 6 years.  She loved it!  Some of the nurses were volunteers.  If you learned CPR, or how to be a lifeguard, you were probably taught by an American Red Cross volunteer.

November 4, 2012. "The visible devastation is one thing, but the devastation in our hearts is another. Its nice to know the Red Cross is here," said Jerry Gargiullo. American Red Cross volunteer Ernestine Campbell receives a big kiss on the cheek from Jerry Gargiulo after he has received a hot meal in Staten Island, New York. Photo by Talia Frenkel/American Red Cross

(SEVERAL of the pictures I saw on the server were of victims hugging the volunteers.  I think the jobs sell themselves.)

WHAT YOU CAN DO AS A VOLUNTEER

Here's a list of typical American Red Cross volunteer opportunities:

• Disaster Services: Volunteers get trained to respond to local and national disasters. In addition, volunteers train people, families, schools and communities to be prepared for emergencies.
• Youth Volunteers/Programs: We encourage students to volunteer and lead youth in Red Cross mission services.
• Health and Safety Instructor: We need volunteers needed to teach community, preschool and elementary school classes in CPR, First Aid, water safety, and other youth safety presentations.
• Service to the Armed Forces: We need volunteers to work with members of the military, veterans, and their families in your community as caseworkers and in military and VA health care facilities.
• Blood Services: We need volunteers to work with individuals, groups, and companies to promote blood drives and recruit blood donors, as well as greet and register donors onsite.
• Reconnecting Separated Families: We need volunteers to assist in finding and reconnecting people living in the U.S. with their loved ones overseas, including in war-torn and disaster stricken countries.
• You can also be a digital advocate and help the American Red Cross raise money while you shop.  Or just spread the word and call to action via social media platforms.  

NURSES NEEDED!

VOLUNTEER NURSES AND THE AMERICAN RED CROSS  

If you are a nurse, they could really use your help from time to time.  And just think of the experience you'll gain. Put that on a resume and you can name your salary.  But most volunteers will tell you helping another human being when they had no hope is a great reward in itself. 

August 30, 2012. Creekside Junior High, Pearl River, Louisiana. Red Cross volunteer nurse Heidi Gillespie, RN, from New Jersey, performs a quick health check on shelter resident Shirley Pickens. Shirley is diabetic so Heidi is closely watching her to make sure she's feeling ok with the upheaval in her life. During the check, they realize that she may be missing a medication so Heidi looks to call in a temporary prescription for Mrs. Pickens. Mrs. Pickens is at the shelter with her husband and two great-grandchildren. Photo by Daniel Cima/American Red Cross

September 3, 2012. Picayune, Mississippi. Melanie Rabee meets with Red Cross nurse Jeanne Pollard in Picayune, Mississippi, after Hurricane Isaac. Photo by Talia Frenkel/American Red Cross 

Their website states:

Nurses have always been a cornerstone of the American Red Cross. Since the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1888 and the Johnstown floods in 1889, Red Cross nurses have provided assistance during times of disaster and conflict. The Heritage Newsletter, Nursing Matters: Past and Present, is chock-full of stories about the extraordinary service of Red Cross nurses.

The Red Cross Nursing Service was formally established by Jane Delano in 1909. Red Cross nursing has also had a major role in the historical evolution of nursing and nursing leadership in the United States. Red Cross nurses like Jane Delano, Clara Noyes and Julia Stimson have played pivotal roles in American nursing.

WANT TO HEAR WHAT OTHER VOLUNTEERS DO? 

Check out this page to find out how to volunteer with the American Red Cross,  and to hear typical volunteer stories.  I would also get  in touch with your local chapters.  They will have a more specific list of volunteer jobs for your area.

CLARA BARTON

If you have time, read this page on Clara Barton, founder of the Red Cross.  She was a really amazing person.  She would have made a kick-ass field grade officer. 

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

Volunteering - Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAMS (CERT)

For this post, I'm sharing the volunteer activity I do these days - Community Emergency Response Team or "CERT" for short.  It's what I feel is my civic duty as an American. I also feel that I have a duty to my fellow humans to be ready to help in a disaster.  If Godzilla or zombies destroy my peaceful little hood, I'm ready.

PV CERT!

Why I Volunteer for CERT

No one likes to think about disasters, but ignoring the potential for one doesn't make it go away.  Here in Los Angeles we have wild fires, earthquakes, mudslides, and the potential for tsunami, HAZMAT and terrorism disasters.  We can't ignore that.  What's worse, most of these things have little to no warning.  Since I feel I have to be prepared for these things, I volunteer with my local CERT team. 

If your hometown turned into this after a disaster like the tsunami in Ofunato, Japan, how would you get water, first aid, or rescue trapped loved ones?  CERT members learn how to become part of the solution after a disaster. And classes are free!

What CERT Members Do

During a disaster, such as a major earthquake, EMS will be busy, VERY BUSY.  Here in my neighborhood we will not expect to see any emergency services for 3 days.  During those 3 days, CERT members tend to wounded, do urban search and rescue, triage, HAM radio operation, and basically hold the fort until the pros arrive.  It can mean the difference between life and death for many.  CERT was developed by the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACFD) back in 1985. (You can find a short history here.)  


SO basically, if there's a wildland fire, earthquake, flood, zombie uprising, you name it, CERT springs into action and assists local Emergency Management System (EMS).  

CERT members, in green, learn a bit of everything, even how to use a fire hose. 

What CERT Members Learn

Here's a course curriculum as taken from my local CERT website:

• DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
  Introduction to disasters, impact of disasters on infrastructures, and the role of CERT volunteers
• DISASTER FIRE SUPPRESSION
  Fire chemistry and basic fire suppression, identifying and reducing potential fire hazards, firefighting resources and techniques, as well as a discussion on hazardous materials
• DISASTER MEDICAL OPERATIONS 1
  Treatment strategies for life-threatening conditions and the principles of triage
• DISASTER MEDICAL OPERATIONS 2
  Head-to-toe patient assessments, establishing treatment areas, treatments for burns, lacerations, fractures, sprains, and other injuries (this is basic information . . . NOT a first-aid class)
• LIGHT SEARCH AND RESCUE (SAR) OPERATIONS 
  Search and rescue priorities and resources, size-up techniques and rescuer safety, lifting, cribbing, and victim removal
• DISASTER PSYCHOLOGY AND TEAM ORGANIZATION
  Post-disaster emotional environment, the Incident Command System, and decision-making and documentation
• TERRORISM
  Risk and threat analysis, types of terrorism weapons, and travel and terrorism
• COURSE REVIEW AND SIMULATION
  Simulation will either be a hands-on drill utilizing newly learned skills or a table-top exercise.

(I do admit I sat in class and imagined the edits to the syllabus if zombie or monster attacks were considered a threat by FEMA.)


To become a CERT member, you will have to take the CERT training from a sponsoring agency like an emergency management agency, fire department or police department in the area where you live or work. (See this link to Citizen Corp's CERT page to search for a CERT group in your area, or to start a group if you have none.  The link is also listed below.)


Training schedules for CERT can vary.  Mine was every Thursday night for 8 weeks from 7PM to 9PM.  It made a long day for me, but I felt the training, (which was FREE, btw), was worth it.

Our Instructors

Our instructors and evaluators were members of the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACFD) who gave us their time after putting in long days.  (I can't stress upon anyone how amazing these guys and gals are.  You have to be made of something amazing to fight fires and then spend an evening teaching people when you're dead-dog tired.) 

What Happens at Meetings 

The regular meetings in my town are bi-monthly, held on Thursday evenings from 7PM to 9PM.  We have speakers from the FBI, Sheriff's Department, LACFD, FEMA, etc., or practice anything from the curriculum above.  There is usually coffee and food.  We train and catch up on administrative stuff.  If we have a speaker, there is usually a slide show and a Q and A session.  

Our local CERT group is one of the biggest (if not THE biggest) in Southern California and meetings are usually packed.

On certain occasions several CERT teams will train together in day or weekend long simulations.  My fellow Californians may have seen local CERT folks in action during our state-wide Shakeout drills.

Battalion Chief Larry Collins, LA County Fire Dept

Urban Search & Rescue (USAR), a typical CERT instructor and special guest.

Last Thursday our guest speaker was Battalion Chief Larry Collins, LA County Fire Department Urban Search & Rescue (USAR).  Chief Collins deploys all over the world,
wherever and whenever LA County Fire Department Urban Search & Rescue and Incident Teams are called to respond. In 2011 he accompanied members of the California Task Force 2 (CA-TF2) to Japan to assist with tsunami relief efforts.   (I almost went on this trip with them as a combat videographer, but was told they didn't need videographers at the last minute.  I missed an opportunity to document what I trained to do.  Bummer.  My still camera counterpart was able to go, however, and it's his images of the tsunami destruction you see on this post.)  

We learned CA-TF2 is a specially-trained and equipped 70-person Urban Search and Rescue Task Force consisting of Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighters and paramedics rescue specialists, emergency room physicians, structural engineers, heavy equipment specialists, canine search dogs and handlers, hazardous materials technicians, communications specialists, and logistics specialists.  They have seen the disasters CERT members train for, and they are our best instructors.   Chief Collins was able to show us how tsunami SAR differs from earthquake SAR.  In Southern California, we are at risk for both, so this was great training. 

Northridge Earthquake Damage 1994.  Damage in earthquakes is different from the damage in a tsunami or hurricane.   We train for those differences.
(I was in this quake.  I remember feeling useless and helpless.  I don't feel that way after CERT training. I'm part of the solution now.)

Last Thursday at our CERT meeting we learned that SAR operations focus on the scour line areas of a tsunami-ravaged area.  The scour lines on the hills in the background of this image are where we will find any number of survivors, not the basins as pictured in the foreground, and that affects our target search areas.

In addition to Chief Collins, Captain Blaine Bolin, the new commander of LA County Sheriff's Lomita Station, introduced himself and discuss the Department's commitment to CERT and Disaster Response. He also spoke about other volunteer opportunities at the Sheriff's Department.  CERT members work closely with law enforcement officials during disasters so they are often at our meetings.  (Captain Blaine briefly discussed volunteering at the local Sheriff's Department, which I will talk about in another post coming soon.  Stay tuned!)




LINKS TO CHECK OUT!


Citizen Corps 
http://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/ 


LA County Fire Department
http://fire.lacounty.gov/

LA County CERT 

http://fire.lacounty.gov/ProgramsEvents/PECERT.asp

Basic CERT Curriculum

http://fire.lacounty.gov/ProgramsEvents/CurriculumBasicCert.asp

CA Task Force 2

http://fire.lacounty.gov/SpecialOps/TechOpsCA-TF2.asp