Meeting scheduled for March 12 to learn more about the Allamakee County Emergency Response Volunteer Program
Volunteers being sought to help in times of local disaster and emergency response
A new program for the Allamakee County Emergency Management Agency has been in the works in cooperation with the Northeast Iowa Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP). It involves an Emergency Response Volunteer Program to assist in disaster and emergency response.
The Allamakee County Emergency Response Volunteer Program will include members from both the Northeast Iowa Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) and volunteers aged 18 or older who are willing, if able, to respond at the request of the Allamakee County Emergency Management Coordinator when it is determined a disaster or emergency requires the support of trained volunteers to assist Allamakee County in response or recovery operations.
Volunteers have the choice of duties they would like to participate in and what their availability criteria are regarding travel and time frames when they would be able to respond and unable to respond. Overall, a volunteer has the flexibility to determine what works best for them in supporting the county.
As part of this process, the group will have its first meeting and training session Tuesday, March 12 at 6 p.m. here at the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office located on Highway 9 just north of Waukon. The address is 877 Highway 9, Waukon. The meeting and training session will be an hour long and will focus on learning protocols and procedures in providing support for checking in and out volunteers related to a search and rescue situation and conducting operations for a temporary shelter.
All volunteers will receive initial training in reference to the duties they select to be part of. Most duties are predominately administrative in nature and require minimal training. Station supervisors will normally be available to overwatch and support volunteers in the performance of their duties along with standard operating procedures being provided in each activity a volunteer is doing. It is currently planned that, normally, several meetings will be held throughout each calendar year, with the intent of these meetings to conduct refresher training on normal volunteer duties and responsibilities along with updating any personal information, duties, and availability criteria.
Volunteers will have the choice to support the county in response and recovery efforts in multiple ways with the following normal activities listed below. These duties could be anywhere in the county, though typically it would be in one of the county’s six cities or other smaller outlying communities within a fixed facility. However, there may be times when responses will be made in a field environment within a tent or mobile command post trailer in a situation such as a search and rescue for someone missing.
Some potential duties include working in a Volunteer Reception Center (VRC) which will register volunteers that show up to help wherever they can and are often called “spontaneous volunteers”. Another site is a Disaster Reception Center used to provide and solicit information from those affected by disasters. A location would be selected close to or within the impacted area where members of the public can come to and be provided information and/or sign up for assistance.
Help may be needed in the Emergency Operations Center to support staffing a phone bank to answer questions with prepared information or following up with county residents who may have been affected by a disaster or emergency. Additionally, they could provide administrative support within the center itself.
Help could also be provided in Emergency Shelter Operations where, if the need to provide emergency shelter arises, volunteers would assist registering people and providing temporary shelter support. This could include pets or support to a site prior to American Red Cross setting up a long-term shelter.
Those interested can attend the March 12 meeting or can reach out to Allamakee County Emergency Management Coordinator Corey Snitker by email at csnitker@co.allamakee.ia.us.
