Local Volunteer Management Plans and Volunteer Reception Centers

Local Volunteer Management Plans and Volunteer Reception Centers

Gwinnett County Volunteer Management Support Annex Part of the county emergency operations plan. Typical of other counties’ plans. Defines the roles and responsibilities of specific volunteer organizations.

Gwinnett County Volunteer Management Support Annex Volunteer organizations included in plan: American Red Cross Gwinnett Amateur Radio Emergency Service Gwinnett County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Gwinnett County Citizen Fire Academy Alumni Association Gwinnett County Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association

Gwinnett County Volunteer Management Support Annex Volunteer organizations included in plan: Civil Air Patrol Georgia Baptist Convention Lutheran Disaster Response Medical Reserve Corps (MRC GEM) Georgia State Defense Force United Methodist Church (North Georgia Conference) Volunteers in Police Service

Gwinnett County Volunteer Management Support Annex Typical roles of volunteers: Shelter operations Receiving/coordinating donations Emergency relief Mental health support Damage assessment Family feeding

Gwinnett County Volunteer Management Support Annex Typical roles of volunteers: Family reunification Communications assistance Technology support Points of dispensing Points of distribution Phone banks

Gwinnett County Volunteer Management Support Annex Typical roles of volunteers: Search and rescue Debris cleanup Home repair Muck out services Aerial damage assessment & photography Child care

Gwinnett County Volunteer Management Support Annex Typical roles of volunteers: Traffic control Injury assessment/triage Case management …and more!

Will there be enough volunteers to execute all these responsibilities?

In any major disaster… Spontaneous Uninvited Volunteers (SUV’s) will flock to a disaster site. How do we decide if we need them? How do we handle them? How do we decide who we can use? In what roles?

Gwinnett County Volunteer Management Support Annex Identifying and developing a plan for the orientation and training as well as the management and coordination of spontaneous volunteers is essential to their successful involvement in disaster response and recovery efforts.

Gwinnett County Volunteer Management Support Annex The acceptance, coordination and management of spontaneous volunteers, orientation and training will be coordinated at the Volunteer Reception Center (VRC).

Volunteer Reception Center VRC provides location to screen, interview, refer, and coordinate volunteer activities. Volunteers posses wide range of skills and training, some of which may be in short supply. VRC helps align available volunteers with assistance opportunities. VRC helps document/ track volunteer hours for potential reimbursement. VRC helps manage and coordinate volunteers providing services across impacted area.

Volunteer Reception Center Activities: Orientation Registration Interviewing Assignment Education (job and safety) Credentialing

Regional Emergency Plans UASI – Urban Areas Strategic Initiative The UASI program is administered through the U. S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP). The grant provides funding to high-risk areas based on risk and effectiveness to address planning, operations, equipment, training, and exercises on a multidisciplinary level.

Regional Emergency Plans Through UASI, various regional disaster plans have been developed, including specific plans for VRC’s in situations where SUV’s can be expected.

Sources Gwinnett County Emergency Operations Plan Regional Volunteer Management Annex to the. Atlanta Regional Evacuation Coordination Plan

Sources FEMA “Coffee Break Training” Volunteer Reception Centers (http: //www. usfa. fema. gov/downloads/pdf/ coffee-break/cc/cc_2013_7. pdf) Ohio Citizen Corps Volunteer Reception Center manual (http: //www. ohioresponds. gov/docs/VRCM anual. pdf)

FOR MORE INFORMATION Contact: Sherwin Levinson 678 -694 -7652 Director@MRCGEM. COM