Welcome to the Disaster Services Department!

Thank you for your interest in the Red Cross Disaster Services Department. The Disaster Services Department is tasked with providing a Red Cross response to disasters and emergency situations in every community throughout our fourteen counties in Northern California, as well as being ready to provide mutual aid in disasters to other communities in California and throughout the United States, as we are able. Our disaster response is provided entirely by a volunteer workforce.

Recurrent Disasters

The most common form of disaster is a single family or multi-family house fire. Our Disaster Action Team responds to these disasters on a weekly basis throughout our region. Volunteers will go through basic training and then will be mentored for further on-the-job training to become proficient and confident in their response. They will sign up for days during the month when they will be on call. The local fire department contacts us when people are displaced from their home and we respond within thirty minutes. On site we provide comfort, a kit of toiletries and offer them three nights in a motel and can load a credit card on the spot with money for immediate needs of food and clothing. We also provide local referrals to businesses, organizations and agencies which can assist them in their next step of recovery.

Other local disasters may include winter storms, power outages, localized flooding or the need to provide an evacuation point for terrorism or hazardous materials incidents.

Non-recurrent Disasters

Although they are not as frequent it is just as necessary for us to be at the ready to provide “mass care” when many people are displaced from their home. This may occur in larger floods or power outages or wild land fires. The Red Cross is notified by the city, police or county Office of Emergency Services that a need exists to open an emergency evacuation center or shelter. We call our volunteers and deploy cots, blankets and other supplies, as well as volunteer Red Cross responders to pre-arranged evacuation sites where the evacuees can find a safe, warm place to stay until they can return to their homes or make other arrangements. If a shelter is open for more than four hours we provide food for the evacuees.

To provide this kind of service to the community it takes many people, pre-arranged resources such as food vendors, shelter site agreements and other partner relationships to make it happen. It’s for that reason the Red Cross is always in the recruiting mode. Some of the roles that must be filled in a larger disaster include:

Shelter Staff: To work in twelve-hour shifts to care for the evacuees.
Feeding Staff: To arrange for food to be provided to the evacuees.
Logistics Staff: To insure supplies are procured and sent to the shelter site as soon as possible. This would include pre-staged trailers with cots, blankets and other supplies that are in place in most of our thirteen counties.
Command Center Staff: When a larger disaster occurs the Red Cross opens its own Command Center. We need staff that will make and field phone calls, make copies and organize schedules for volunteers serving in other capacities.
Disaster Assessment: Information is critical. The Disaster Assessment lead volunteer gathers information about the disaster through phone calls, internet, and visits the Incident Command Center or through the Red Cross liaison with the city or county Emergency Operations Center. This information is passed on in an organized and timely way to the Red Cross Disaster Operations Manager so decisions can be made about our Service Delivery Plan.
Government Liaison: This person represents the Red Cross at the city/county Emergency Operations Center and becomes the “conduit of information” between the city, county and Red Cross Command Center.
Welfare Information Specialist: When disaster strikes the phones start ringing. Loved ones will call the Red Cross checking on the welfare of their family members. The Red Cross will field those calls and seek to find the information.
Spontaneous Volunteer Coordinator: When disaster strikes people from off the street will volunteer to assist. These volunteers need to be processed, orientated and deployed in an orderly manner.
Community Partnerships: The Red Cross can’t do it alone – we must collaborate with businesses and community organizations and agencies. During times when there is no disaster occurring we must be visiting and building relationships with current and potential community partners.
Disaster Health Services: A six-hour course if provided for EMTs, LVNs and RNs who want to assist in Red Cross disaster response. Our Disaster Action Team will sometimes need advice from a Health Services Staff and whenever we open a shelter we must have Health Services either available in the shelter or by phone 24/7.
Disaster Mental Health: People who are displaced from their home need comfort. While a Psychological First Aid Class is provided to all Red Cross volunteers, sometimes the assistance of a professional is needed. Whenever we open a shelter we must have a Disaster Mental Health professional available by phone or in the shelter 24/7. In the event of a large automobile accident or aviation accident when the National Transportation and Safety Board is involved, it is expected that the Red Cross will provide mental health assistance.

These are just a few of the opportunities available to volunteer with the Red Cross. There is a position available for just about any personality and skill set. Also, we are in need of key lead volunteers to oversee Red Cross branches in each county. This is a role for an experienced manager and leader who will coordinate volunteer recruitment, induction, training, community relations and disaster response. The key word is “coordinate” – we wouldn’t expect one person to do all of this; we trust they will be skilled at leading and delegating.

Volunteering with the Red Cross

The process for volunteering with the Red Cross Disaster Services Department involves paperwork and training.

Volunteer Applications

Basic Volunteer Application.
Disaster Department Application
Code of Business Ethics and Conduct. Insures your agreement and cooperation with Red Cross ethics and conduct.
Confidential Information and Intellectual Property Agreement: Insures your cooperation to keep client information confidential and any intellectual property issues that may arise.
Personal Statement of Understanding. Your agreement in regards to availability and work performance. (Must be completed annually by all volunteers and staff)
Health Status Report. Must be completed annually by all volunteers and staff to insure you are not put into a position to compromise your health.

Basic Background Check

All Red Cross volunteers and staff must take a confidential, secure, online basic background check.

Basic Training

Basic Training involves an orientation to discuss your interest in regards to volunteering with the Red Cross and an introductory class that will acquaint you with Red Cross values, priorities and basic procedures. After this introductory class we recommend you take the following classes when they are offered in your area:

Shelter Simulation
Shelter Operations
Disaster Action Team Orientation
Client Casework
Disaster Assessment

As you begin to be more involved you may find many other classes that you are interested in.

Your Volunteer Hours

We respect your life as a volunteer. We know you have other interests and commitments, therefore, what time you can give we will take. We expect a commitment as best you can – when you say you will be there or do something, we trust you will fulfill that commitment. However, on the other hand, we understand that sometimes things change at the last minute. We hope we can have a clear two-way communication with you on what you can and cannot do and when you can and cannot do it.

We’re excited about the possibilities of helping you use your skills, knowledge and life experiences in serving your community in the Disaster Services Department!

Service to Armed Forces

Although not a government agency, the Red Cross has two Congressional Charters that mandate us to be involved in two areas. One is to respond to disasters and emergencies as we’ve described in the previous pages. The other is to provide emergency messaging to those in active military service.

Sometimes an emergency occurs at home – a death, a serious diagnosis, a birth complication. When a loved one calls the Red Cross we work through Department of Defense guidelines to verify the situation, then notify the commanding officer of the person in active military service and request emergency leave to return home. Usually within 48 hours that service man/woman is boarding an airplane to return home to be at the side of their loved one. All of this is done through telephone and internet from the home of the Emergency Messaging Caseworker. I’ve found this to be one of the most fulfilling roles to fill with the Red Cross.

The Red Cross also assists the service man, woman, spouse or veteran in obtaining an emergency loan from a Military Aid Society, participates in armed forces initiatives, does briefings to new arrivals and those being deployed, volunteers at bases and clinics as well as many other services to those in the military and veterans.

Training and orientation is provided for all of these positions.

For more information contact the Red Cross office near you (see first page).