Red Cross Offers Free Disaster Volunteer Training | Community Spirit

CLINTON, Iowa--How many volunteers does it take to make a difference in someone's life? Just one! American Red Cross volunteers come from all walks of life and come together with one common purpose—to support the mission of the Red Cross to provide relief to victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.

The Red Cross is also offering FREE training for individuals interested in becoming disaster volunteers. Disaster volunteers respond to natural disaster events in Clinton, Jackson and Whiteside Counties and are given the option to respond to large-scale disasters throughout the country.

Disaster response includes survey and damage assessment, casework, feeding, sheltering, and more. Volunteers receive training in the desired areas and can specialize in specific functions for local and national disaster response. 

The core curriculum classes must be completed to provide volunteers with the skills needed to effectively respond to natural and man-made disasters. These are offered over a 5 week period with one session each week.

All Classes held at the Gateway Area Chapter of the American Red Cross, 1220 13th Ave N, Clinton, IA 52732.  

• Disaster Services:  An Overview– Introduces potential disaster volunteers to the role of the Red Cross in the community’s actions in preparing for, responding to and recovering from emergencies and disasters. Tuesday, February 19, 2013, 6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

• Shelter Operations/Simulation – Provides participants with knowledge of Red Cross policies and procedures for setting up, running and closing a shelter during a disaster. Simulation offers an exercise in completing this task.

      Shelter Operations:  Tuesday, February 26, 2013, 6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Shelter Simulation:  Tuesday, March 5, 2013, 6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

• Client Casework:  Providing Emergency Assistance – Trains Red Cross caseworkers how to conduct effective client interviews and provide appropriate assistance to help meet the client’s immediate disaster caused needs.

First of two sessions:  Tuesday, March 12, 2013, 6:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Second of two sessions:  Tuesday, March 19, 2013, 6:00 – 9:30 p.m.

This is a FREE training. To register, please call the Gateway Area Chapter at (563) 242-5223.

Submitted Content