Lamorinda CERTVolunteer Reception

Center

Presented by:Duncan Seibert, Program Manager

• The Need• The Authority • The Volunteers• The Implementation• Functions within the VRC

“Disaster volunteers are priceless but

disaster survivors are our purpose.”

While it is always valuable for volunteers to have a positive volunteering experience,

the needs of the disaster survivors and those of the affected community must take precedence over those of volunteers.

The Need

Volunteers represent a potential resource to a community affected by any disaster. However, volunteers who respond spontaneously and without appropriate training and qualifications can easily overwhelm the capabilities of local government and other agencies.

The Need

No community is immune to the havoc and devastation caused by disaster. When disaster strikes, emergency response and voluntary agencies automatically mobilize. Each has a specific role to help ensure a community’s successful response to and recovery from the disaster’s devastation. Yet, one element within the present system continues to challenge this process: Spontaneous, unaffiliated volunteers.

The Need

These volunteers are eager to respond and contribute to the community’s recovery, but usually lack the training to help them be effective in these roles. Unaffiliated volunteers often arrive on-site in numbers too great for traditional disaster responders to manage as they try to meet the immediate needs of communities affected by disaster.

The Need

The challenge, therefore, is reconciling the desire to help felt by unaffiliated volunteers with the need of responder’s to do their jobs unencumbered by the responsibility of managing volunteers.

Benefits of Management

• First responders can fulfill their duties without the added responsibility ofmanaging volunteers.

• Experienced volunteer coordinators can manage volunteers, to ensure meaningful and quality volunteer experiences. As a result, volunteers are more inclined to seek future community service opportunities.

Benefits of Effective Volunteer Management

Benefits of Management

• VOADs can quickly and appropriately direct affiliated volunteers to additional areas of need in the disaster cycle.

• Communities will know how to effectively engage residents as volunteers in all phases of disasters.

• Communities can respond to and heal from disasters more effectively when volunteer efforts are well managed.

The Authority

The California State Emergency Plan establishes the California Emergency Functions (CA-EFs) as a key component of California’s system for all-hazards emergency management.CA-EF’s consist of seventeen primary activities deemed essential for the emergency management needs of communities in all phases of emergency management.EF-17 is Volunteer and Donations Management.

The Authority

In Lafayette, the Lafayette Emergency Preparedness Commission has written the EF-17 Annex to the city’s Emergency Operations Plan.The Lafayette EF-17 Annex designates Lamorinda CERT as the primary agency for the management of volunteers.

The Volunteers

So who converges? • Helpers - people who have come to help the response

• Returnees - people who lived in the disaster-impacted area

• The Anxious - people who are attempting to obtain information about family and friends

• The Curious - people who are motivated primarily to view the destruction left in the wake of the disaster

• Fans or Supporters - people who gather to display banners, encouraging and expressing gratitude to responders

• Exploiters - people who try to use the disaster for personal gain or profit

The Implementation

The Lamorinda Volunteer Reception Center is a self-contained mobile resource that is available to respond quickly following a disaster.It is housed in Moraga at Fire Station 41 and is towed by a fire district utility truck.It is designed to process up to 100 volunteers per day. Additional volunteers can be processed if a suitable room is located nearby.

The Implementation

The VRC is in a 20 foot long cargo trailer that has been outfitted with radio and telephone communications, network, desks, computers, printers and custom software.The trailer is self-contained with a battery and generator and both high and low voltage electrical system.The Comms Desk has radios for GMRS, Public Works, 2 meter and 440.

The Implementation

Functions Within the VRC

The functions within the VRC in sequence are:• Reception• Background Check• Interview• Placement• DSW Swearing In• Credentialing• Requests Intake• Communications• Data Processing• Security

Reception

The first station encountered by the public is Reception. Here the Greeter answers any questions. If the person is volunteering, they are given a Volunteer Intake Form to complete.Once the form is completed, the volunteer is sent to the Background Check Station.

Background Check

Volunteers might be in contact with many members of the public, including children. It was decided that the Lamorinda VRC would only send out volunteers who had been background checked by a member of a local police department.The background check consists of a fingerprint scan that is transmitted over a secure police radio to an automated system at the county sheriff’s office.

Interview

The Interview Station will discuss the Intake Form information with the volunteer and try to determine the reasons why the volunteer has chosen to come in and what skills they have.As important as determining skillsets is placing the volunteer where they will be happy (or at least content) and eliminating those people who should not be placed in the response.

Placement

Placement is a separate function from Interview because many volunteers will finish a first work assignment and come back for more!There is no need to re-interview many of these volunteers.The Placement staff can get to know the types of volunteers desired by the client agency and can place those most compatible.

Disaster Service Worker

The Disaster Service Worker designation is jurisdiction specific. Therefore, all volunteers who are to work for a governmental agency need to be sworn in by a representative of the jurisdiction where the work will take place.In the Lamorinda environment, a volunteer could be sworn in three times, once for each of the three municipalities and possibly once more for the county.

Credentialing

Once a placement has been made and the volunteer is sworn in, if and as needed, an Identification Badge needs to be generated. The badge is site specific and expires on the last date of the job request. If the job is extended, a new badge will be generated.Once a badge is generated, a placement report will be issued to the volunteer and copied to the requesting agency.

Credentialing

Before sending the volunteer to the job site, a safety briefing handout will be distributed. The volunteer must sign a log sheet indicating that they have received and read the safety briefing.

Requests Intake

No jobs are available until Requests come in from the field.A Request Coordinator will contact those agencies that have previously indicated that they will probably need volunteers. Other agencies can also submit requests.The Coordinator reviews all requests regularly and contacts the agencies to discuss requirements and to report on requests that have been or are not able to be filled.

Communications

The Comms Section consists of multiple HAM radio operators using HAM, Public Works and GMRS radios as well as computers with FAX and other digital data capabilities over cellular and HAM networks.Comms will be in contact with the EOC and various requesting agencies.

Data Processing

Data Processing is responsible for maintaining the data network, including both wired and wireless connections; network switch; database server; client computers; printers; cellular router; wireless bridge; and other items.For the volunteers, they are responsible for the Credentialing process and maintaining the database.

Security

The physical security of the VRC is the responsibility of a security staff. With the backup of the on-scene police representative, the security staff will keep order and assure the safety of the volunteers working in the VRC as well as the volunteers registering for work.