Disaster Response series:
'A "Whole Community" Response'
With the increase and severity of natural disaster events worldwide, it is easy to conclude that citizen volunteers are indispensable to the community's search, rescue, and recovery disaster operations. This is a select group of volunteers made up of civic-minded citizens, able and willing to avail themselves of community-level emergency services to call on them.
Properly managing such a list of 'active volunteers' is to maximize effectiveness. The term active denotes a specific category of recruited active volunteers. Inactive volunteers would no longer be on the active list.
With lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina, the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) calls this a "whole community" response—a community-based solution welcomed by integrated emergency services worldwide.
Active Community Volunteers
The citizen volunteers recruited to the active list have the skills (nurses, doctors, engineers, drivers, etc.), equipment, and labour generally needed in a state of emergency. It is not always a predictable situation, for sure.
Should the day-to-day emergency operations structure become overwhelmed, they, depending on their skill set, would be activated. Potential scenarios could be because of the excessive volume of calls and or when Mother Nature herself devastates operational structures and readiness. However, that is. Perhaps even damaging operational superstructures, like the Fire Hall itself.
The general idea is for active citizen volunteer recruitments to be on standby to lend their expertise in support, as directed, early on during the search, rescue, and critical response phase of front-line disaster operations.
They are generally assembled to provide life-sustaining aid where they can. For example, to help deliver emergency supplies, healthcare, medicines, transportation, repatriating operations, etc. Before 'big government' and other aid arrive days later.
We use the term 'BIG government' to define the federal, state/provincial integrated emergency oversight agencies. To distinguish their response from that of the community and regional governments.
The 'Responder's First' initiative
The 'Responder's First' initiative grants select emergency and safety equipment to affected communities, as needed, worldwide. To fill inevitable shortfalls of safety and emergency equipment for citizen volunteers arriving ill-prepared at the front lines. Providing campaign funds are available to purchase and deliver the equipment when called upon. That is, as critical needs continue to dictate.
Operationally, we call upon community emergency services to manage who gets what and when regarding localized donor-funded resources. For example, fire, police, search & rescue, etc. Depending on the situation, whichever local agency or response team is best equipped to coordinate this for their community. These equipment donations may be relatively small but certainly impactful.
Fund-US - Disasters Aid to Citizen-Volunteers
We need help! Your support will make a world of difference in response to catastrophic disasters across the globe!
The cost of a pint or a glass of wine will help address the critical shortage of emergency equipment amongst citizen volunteers thrust into joining search, rescue, and recovery operations worldwide. This all-hands effort is to shore up their safety and effectiveness—while reducing suffering and loss of life. We are all first responders . . .
The smallest of giving adds up, and we cannot do the work without it. $10-15 per donation is good – less or more, whatever is manageable. Donations in kind, back-linking, etc. and sharing this along are all valuable ways to contribute.
To fund and deliver humanitarian equipment aid to the citizen-volunteer front line. The volume of equipment delivered worldwide is wholly dependent on the donations received. There is no shortage of need.
#HumanitarianAid, #Responder'sFirst, #Fund-US, #AscentProvisions
Site: ascentProvisions.org
Email: ascent@ascentProvisions.com
Phone: 604-732-4042; 1-800-361-0473 (N America)
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