The Cowlitz County Dive Rescue Team is taking applications between November 1st and December 20th for Rescue Divers and Line Tenders/Surface Support. Applicants must be available 24/7 and have no felonies.
If you would like to be a part of a dynamic volunteer organization, please call the Department of Emergency Management at (360) 577-3130 during business hours.
Showing posts with label Volunteer Information. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Volunteer Information. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Dispatches from Disaster, Part III
Here is the last installment from my questions to Linda Coordes who responded to the tornado devastation in Alabama. To see the previous posts click here and here.
I asked Linda what she thought was the most beneficial training that she had received that helped her with the disaster response.
The CERT training really helped me understand the steps and protocol of the response. The search and rescue markings were familiar and therefore less intimidating. The incident command system was easier to understand. The first aid training gave me confidence as I ventured into unfamiliar and sometimes downright dangerous territory. Both CERT and Red Cross emphasized the importance of being prepared to take care of my own needs. This was critical. Basic necessities we take for granted are often unavailable in the field. When they can be obtained they are first directed to the victims. I was told to take EVERYTHING I might need, I did, and I was thankful. The Red Cross training specifically helped me understand my role and expectations as a Red Cross volunteer. It offered scope, structure, and purpose to my experience. Since I deployed in the area of Disaster Mental Health I also used my education and experience as a Licensed Social Worker. So in a nutshell, I was able to combine my background and who I already am as a person and a professional with new skills acquired through CERT and Red Cross to really make a difference for someone in crisis. I would definitely encourage anyone who wants to do disaster relief work to do so under the umbrella of a well-established volunteer organization (VOAD). Having recognizable identification makes all the difference in gaining access to affected areas. Having the infrastructure of the Red Cross provided the security, safety, and resources necessary to do the job I set out to do.
I also asked her what additional training or experience would she have liked to have had prior to responding.
Flexibility, flexibility, flexibility…can you teach that? Nothing short of experience could have prepared me for the amount of flexibility required to preserve my sanity. My new motto: “It is what it is…” There is so much you have no control over, and that includes your own personal comfort. In the midst of a disaster relief operation you may or may not have your own basic needs met. You may or may not be able to provide what the victims really need. You have to draw on every ounce of compassion, understanding, and patience you possess…not only for the victims but for the other responders as well. Take a good sense of humor and a large dose of self-care. I’m not sure how to teach it, but it’s essential to survival. I guess you just have to live it, and then share what you can…learn from each new experience. Maybe being a rookie was a good thing, I had no expectations (or at least none that were realistic) and everybody said “every disaster is different”. Nobody with experience could compare this response operation to any other. Maybe that in itself is the voice of experience, understanding that everything you experience will be new and different. Don’t make any plans that cannot be easily changed each and every step of the way.
We are so proud of our local volunteers doing great work! If you are interested in becoming a Red Cross volunteer and responding to disasters in our area and all over world, click here for more information.
I asked Linda what she thought was the most beneficial training that she had received that helped her with the disaster response.
The CERT training really helped me understand the steps and protocol of the response. The search and rescue markings were familiar and therefore less intimidating. The incident command system was easier to understand. The first aid training gave me confidence as I ventured into unfamiliar and sometimes downright dangerous territory. Both CERT and Red Cross emphasized the importance of being prepared to take care of my own needs. This was critical. Basic necessities we take for granted are often unavailable in the field. When they can be obtained they are first directed to the victims. I was told to take EVERYTHING I might need, I did, and I was thankful. The Red Cross training specifically helped me understand my role and expectations as a Red Cross volunteer. It offered scope, structure, and purpose to my experience. Since I deployed in the area of Disaster Mental Health I also used my education and experience as a Licensed Social Worker. So in a nutshell, I was able to combine my background and who I already am as a person and a professional with new skills acquired through CERT and Red Cross to really make a difference for someone in crisis. I would definitely encourage anyone who wants to do disaster relief work to do so under the umbrella of a well-established volunteer organization (VOAD). Having recognizable identification makes all the difference in gaining access to affected areas. Having the infrastructure of the Red Cross provided the security, safety, and resources necessary to do the job I set out to do.
I also asked her what additional training or experience would she have liked to have had prior to responding.
Flexibility, flexibility, flexibility…can you teach that? Nothing short of experience could have prepared me for the amount of flexibility required to preserve my sanity. My new motto: “It is what it is…” There is so much you have no control over, and that includes your own personal comfort. In the midst of a disaster relief operation you may or may not have your own basic needs met. You may or may not be able to provide what the victims really need. You have to draw on every ounce of compassion, understanding, and patience you possess…not only for the victims but for the other responders as well. Take a good sense of humor and a large dose of self-care. I’m not sure how to teach it, but it’s essential to survival. I guess you just have to live it, and then share what you can…learn from each new experience. Maybe being a rookie was a good thing, I had no expectations (or at least none that were realistic) and everybody said “every disaster is different”. Nobody with experience could compare this response operation to any other. Maybe that in itself is the voice of experience, understanding that everything you experience will be new and different. Don’t make any plans that cannot be easily changed each and every step of the way.
We are so proud of our local volunteers doing great work! If you are interested in becoming a Red Cross volunteer and responding to disasters in our area and all over world, click here for more information.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Volunteer Opportunities Abound
Do you like making a difference in your community? Do you like helping others? Are you awesome? If so, check out the Volunteer Center for Cowlitz and Wahkiakum County at Lower Columbia CAP. Anyone age 14 or older is welcome to apply for enrollment at the Volunteer Center of Cowlitz and Wahkiakum (VCCW). Once enrolled, volunteers are notified of volunteer opportunities in a variety of different ways. The VCCW partners with a number of local organizations, businesses, schools, law enforcement agencies, as well as with special events and activities. For more information click here or call (360) 425-3430 x 288. As Tom Brokaw said, "It's easy to make a buck, it's a lot tougher to make a difference." Are you tough enough?
Friday, January 9, 2009
Erosion Control
FYI: Several landscaping and excavation companies have contacted us wanting to know if anyone needs assistance with erosion control. Among the resources they've listed are:
*Bark (including a bark blowing truck)
*Gravel
*Dump Trucks
*Earth moving equipment
*Experienced work crews
*Licensed and bonded contractors
I'd give you more detailed information and phone numbers, but we must remain impartial since these services are not being offered for free. All of those offering services have confirmed that they are listed in the yellow pages of the phone book.
*Bark (including a bark blowing truck)
*Gravel
*Dump Trucks
*Earth moving equipment
*Experienced work crews
*Licensed and bonded contractors
I'd give you more detailed information and phone numbers, but we must remain impartial since these services are not being offered for free. All of those offering services have confirmed that they are listed in the yellow pages of the phone book.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Thanks!
Throughout this entire emergency, the Cowlitz County DEM has had the pleasure of working with many generous citizens and businesses. There were more offers of equipment, materials and assistance than requests for help. Our response to the needs of our community would not have been as complete without good neighbors such as yourselves.
During the emergency CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) volunteers were called in to assist the DEM in supporting the emergency response. CERT volunteers are ordinary citizens who have received training for situations just like this. The DEM offers CERT training courses twice a year. The next class, in March, is full but if you are interested a class is forming for September. See the Cowlitz DEM's website for more information about CERT training.
During the emergency CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) volunteers were called in to assist the DEM in supporting the emergency response. CERT volunteers are ordinary citizens who have received training for situations just like this. The DEM offers CERT training courses twice a year. The next class, in March, is full but if you are interested a class is forming for September. See the Cowlitz DEM's website for more information about CERT training.
Send Us Your Flood Photos
We don't have a great perspective of what is going on in the county from our station in the basement. Send us your pics!! Here are the rules:1. Email your photo as a JPG attachment no larger than 10MB.
2. Include a "headline" or description. Where is it taken? What's going on?
3. If you want your picture credited to you, include your name and location.
4. Send pics to cowlitzdem@gmail.com
Thanks for being our eyes in the field! Again, DO NOT go gallivanting around the county saying that you are on a photo safari mission from DEM. Just send us any pics you may already have or what's going on in your area.
We need your eyes!
Road conditions are changing faster than we can update and we are getting conflicting reports all around. If you are interested, please leave comments of what the conditions of the roads are in your area. DO NOT go gallivanting around the county looking for problems, we just want a general idea of what's going on outside your front door. You can leave comments on this site or email engkrafj@co.cowlitz.wa.us
Donations Needed
Good morning Cowlitz County! We have received word from the Red Cross that they could use donations of the following: clean blankets, bottled water, granola bars, cereal bars, boxed crackers or cookies, bread, peanut butter, jam and diapers of all sizes. Please take any donations to the Expo Center near the fairgrounds at 1900 7th Avenue. With any questions please call 577-3183.
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