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Thursday, September 9, 2010 |
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VOAD seeks emergency volunteers
Published February 23, 2010
SEGUIN — Guadalupe County officials are looking for volunteers for a Seguin-area group that would augment first responders officials expect could become overwhelmed in an emergency or disaster.
The group, called a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) would be similar to groups in Schertz and Bexar County, according to Scott Paul of the Bexar County Office of Emergency Management, which coordinates the volunteers in the San Antonio area.
Guadalupe County Emergency Management Coordinator Dan Kinsey and the county’s volunteer coordinator, Kay Hays invited Paul to discuss CERT with members of the county’s Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) a group organized to help local officials here respond to an emergency such as a flood, pandemic or coastal hurricane that brings evacuees to Guadalupe County. Comal County’s Extension Agent for Health Education Kathleen Greer gave a talk on “Preparing for the Unexpected.”
Paul told VOAD board members Thursday that a CERT team is an organization that works hand-in-glove with a VOAD as a sort of specialized action team dispatched to either help first responders in an emergency or to arrive before the fire department or other help can and work to stabilize a situation until the pros arrive.
“There’s a huge benefit in VOAD and CERT groups working together because there’s such a close correlation between what VOAD does and what CERT does,” Scott told the cadre of local volunteers. “CERT’s focus is on disaster, and our job is to assist first responders when asked.”
Members would get 20 hours of free training in topics that include emergency preparation, light firefighting, medical operations, search and rescue, disaster psychology and the federal Incident Command System and team structuring, followed by a disaster response exercise.
“It’s rigorous training, but with it, you can go out and function as part of a team,” Paul said. “We teach you when to help and when to say, ‘This is too much for me and I’d better step back,’ and how to work with first responders.”
The CERT teams can be organized in different ways and can specialize in a particular field, such as firefighting or flood response.
Hays, who has so far recruited more than 200 volunteers in this county to assist as members of VOAD, said local officials and volunteers are very interested in the CERT idea.
“One of the goals of VOAD is to start a CERT team here in Seguin,” Hays said. “If anyone is interested in signing up, contact us.”
The training will be provided in a flexible fashion that works for the Seguin group — perhaps on nights or weekends as needed, Paul said.
Under CERT guidelines in use in Bexar County and elsewhere, nearly any individual can join a CERT group.
“There really is no bar to participation,” Paul said. “If you have a physical handicap and are interested, there are plenty of non-physical jobs. We have programs for blind or deaf volunteers as well.”
With parental permission, teens as young as 14 can also participate.
There is one restriction: nobody with a felony conviction or an arrest for a violent or sexual crime is allowed to participate, and Guadalupe County will conduct criminal background checks.
Misdemeanors more than three years old could be acceptable in certain instances.
Greer, who has weathered floods in New Braunfels and a hurricane in Beaumont, is no stranger to natural disaster — or to the need to be ready to meet a variety of emergencies.
“How many of you have had your homes flooded?” Greer asked VOAD members.
Around the room, a number of hands went up.
Greer spoke of personal preparedness — of the need to get informed on what kind of emergencies are likely wherever you live, and the importance of preparing the home and family.
It’s best to make a plan and create a kit, Greer said, and the Extension service offers information to help in its booklet, “Preparing for the Unexpected.”
An emergency kit would include medicines, food and water, clothing, a well-stocked first aid kit, extra clothing and emergency items like a battery powered or crank-operated radio, flashlights, a shovel and basic tools.
“Do you know everything you need to know to keep your life as normal as possible?” Greer asked. “What are you going to do if water’s unavailable? You can live without food for several weeks, but if you don’t have water, you have about three days. That’s how important water is.”
The Federal Emergency Management Agency Internet Web site, www.ready.gov, has helpful information about preparing for and surviving a disaster or an emergency.
For information about the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s CERT program, log on to http://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/
The Guadalupe County VOAD needs cash donations to pay operating expenses. It also is seeking volunteer members. For information on VOAD, contact Kay Hays at 830-303-9702 or by e-mail at kay.hays(at)co.guadalupe.tx.us .
The Texas Extension Disaster Education Network’s booklet, “Preparing for the Unexpected” is available at the Guadalupe County Agrilife Extension office. For information, call Amy Harris at 303-3889.
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