EMC258 Use Volunteers? Y/N 1/6
To:   Emergency Communications Units - Information Bulletin
To:   Emergency Management Agencies via Internet and Radio
By:   Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS) of the
      California Governor's Office of Emergency Services  

EMC258 Use Volunteers? Y/N 1/6   Release 10/9/00

These bulletins are for those in government who manage emergency
response situations for local or state jurisdictions.

This series is based by an article in a Sonoma County Department
of Emergency Services "Disaster Blaster", issue 12, spring l999. 
The title was "Volunteers...Are You Making the Best Use of Them?"
However, there is a related question: Why should I use volunteers?"
Both will be discussed

Volunteers generally come in two categories:
  1. Spontaneous or convergent volunteers - those who come out
  of the woodwork (so to say) during any emergency.
  2. Volunteers who are in an on-going program, such as Certified
  (or Neighborhood) Emergency Response Teams, the Auxiliary
      Communications Service (ACS), Search and Rescue, and others.
      
When a disaster strikes most jurisdictions will have convergent
volunteers, whether or not we are are ready for them. Planning
for the use of them makes that situation a lot easier. So, we
can plan on how to handle them. It is also possible to consider
setting up a reserve or an on-going volunteer program to handle
specific tasks or special projects.

COMMON CONCERNS TO USING VOLUNTEERS:
  1. I don't want to work with, or coordinate, volunteers:
       a. I donšt understand them
       b. My staff feels threatened by them
       c. I don't know why they volunteer to help us
       d. I don't comprehend what motivates them
       e. I or (my staff) don't know how to manage them          
  2. I don't have space (or equipment) for them
  3. I don't have time to prepare work for them
  4. I don't have time to train them
  5. I don't want to deal with liability issues
  6. I don't have time to supervise volunteers
  7. I don't need them
  8. I had a bad experience with one of them and swore never
     to get involved with volunteers again

Do these concerns really justify our turning down what MAY be a
valuable asset if we can find a way to overcome our concerns?
Although that may not appear possible, if we are willing to at
least look at the possibility, that is a start. If it will help,
there are others who have already walked this path and found it
well worth the stroll.
         
Series continues next bulletin with a look at common concerns,
beginning with "I don't want to work with volunteers".          

 Cary Mangum, W6WWW        E-mail: cary.mangum@macnexus.org
                           ---
Bulletins are on the ACS Web page: http://acs.oes.ca.gov  -and a
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EOM