Opportunities in Disaster for Advisory Board Members

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Opportunities in Disaster for Advisory Board
Members
April 2007
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Project Building a Local Disaster Team
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Step One
Recruitment

• The first step is to recruit approximately 25
  eager, new volunteers from the community who are
  interested in disaster work and The Salvation
  Army.

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Lets Make It Work

• Task a project coordinator using an advisory
  board member works best
• Advertise through local media (template news
  article available)
• Advertise on your local website
• Talk with potential partners, specifically, local
  firefighters, emergency management, churches,
  United Way, or volunteer center.

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Your Recruitment Goal

• Try to recruit approximately 25 volunteers
  because
• About half will drop out
• About half wont available when you need them
  during a disaster
• Leaving you two shifts of three canteen workers

• 25
• 13
• 12
• 6
• 2 teams of 3

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Step Two
Training

• The second step is to host a basic training camp
  for your newly recruited volunteers.
• This training session will allow you to
• Teach your new recruits some essential skills
• Explain to them your expectations for Salvation
  Army disaster volunteers and
• Register and screen your new volunteers.

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National Disaster Training Program
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Lets Make It Work

• Schedule The Salvation Army Introduction to
  Disaster Services (4.0 hours) and Introduction
  to Disaster Food Service (4.0 hours)
• Ask THQ if they are able to help fund your
  training event
• Obtain approval for your disaster training from
  DHQ and register the course through THQ. If
  necessary, ask for THQ support in securing
  instructors
• Actively participate in the initial training
  this will help you get to know the skills and
  personalities of your new volunteers and screen
  out any challenging personalities
• Be sure to have your new volunteers fill out all
  disaster worker registration forms BEFORE they
  leave your training class.
• Announce the date of our orientation meeting
  before your training session ends.

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Step Three
Implementation Growth

• The third step is to start molding your new
  volunteers into a team and assigning
  responsibility. Treat them as new employees,
  setting the same expectations for their conduct.
• Remember, if you want to retain your new
  volunteers you must get them engaged. Set
  expectations. Assign responsibilities.
• Volunteers who feel they a stake in your disaster
  program will participate those that dont are
  likely to drift away.

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Lets Make It Work

• Host a meeting to organize your new volunteers
  into a team. If possible, appoint team
  leader(s). Determine who is qualified to serve as
  canteen drivers, servers, etc.
• Assign volunteers to review the readiness of your
  disaster equipment, inspecting the corps canteen
  and other disaster supplies. Have them make a
  list of what needs to be fixed and what equipment
  needs to be added.
• Discuss how the team will be activated and
  deployed during an emergency develop a call-down
  list assign an emergency cell phone to the
  on-call team leader.
• Report the status of the project to your
  advisory board.

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Lets Make It Work

• Give your canteen crew practical opportunities to
  practice using the canteen. For a first run,
  have them deploy the canteen to serve lunch at a
  corps service on Sunday, a local Boys and Girls
  club, or shelter. Let them work to emergency
  management and other multi-agency exercises.
• Once the canteen program is functional, add other
  priorities, such as building capacity within
  other service disciplines meeting and planning
  with local first responders or offering
  community disaster training.
• Encourage advanced training for core disaster
  team members.
• Assign your volunteers to schedule and host
  additional Intro to EDS classes to increase
  your volunteer base.
• Continue to use your key advisory board member to
  help manage the team and advocate for the
  program.

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Project Working with Community Leaders and
Businesses
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Lets Make It Work

• Automotive Repair/Service
• Boxes
• Cleaning Supplies
• Communications Equipment (cellular phones,
  internet)
• Fuel (gas, diesel, propane)
• Food Supplies
• Furniture
• Heavy Equipment (forklifts, pallet jacks, dock
  plates)
• Office / Shipping Supplies
• Real Estate (temporary disaster
  offices/warehouses)
• Rebuilding Supplies
• Trucking (Shipment, Storage both refrigerated
  and dry)
• Vehicles (rental cars, vans, and trucks)

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Project Advisory Board Members as Disaster
Workers
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Lets Make It Work

• Advisory board members have technical or
  leadership skills that can be readily applied to
  a disaster situation.
• During a local disaster event, when local
  Salvation Army personnel may be very limited,
  consider asking advisory board members to serve
  as leadership volunteers on a disaster
  operation.

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For additional training information, go
to www.uss.salvationarmy.org Developed and
presented by Jeffrey Jellets, CEM
Credits