of Delaware and Morrow Counties, Inc.
Suzanne Pingry, Program Director Melinda Metz, Senior Leadership Coordinator
Colleen Dennis, Project Manager
Eric Coss, Training Coordinator
Sue Hanson, Executive Director
39 W Winter Street , Delaware, OH 43015, 740‐363‐5000
Volunteer Mobilization
Connections is the lead agency for recruitment and deployment of affiliated and spontaneous volunteers during an emergency. Connections will continue to fulfill its mission by mobilizing people to meet community need in cooperation with and at the direction of the Delaware County Emergency Management Agency.
Disaster Relief Volunteers maintain an on‐call status. Offered trainings include: introduction to disaster relief; basic safety training; Volunteer Reception Center Leadership; and training at agencies for disaster specific work.
What else does Connections do?
Recruit, refer, and place senior volunteers at non‐profit agencies throughout the county. We also educate agencies on the advantages of having seniors as volunteers. The Senior Pen Pal Program, which connects seniors throughout the county with local fifth graders for an intergenerational literary‐based pen pal program, is one volunteer opportunity coordinated by our office.
Senior Companion Volunteers
The Senior Companion Program is part of a national program that is coordinated in partnership with the Council for Older Adults and Catholic Social Services. Connections matches volunteers ages 55 and older with seniors in Delaware County who struggle with loneliness and/or isolation. There are currently 7 senior adults volunteering as companions, but more are needed! Contact us if you or someone you know wants to get involved in helping others in our community with this valuable program. Accredited Training
Licensed professionals find that Connections’ Trainings meet their required training needs. Participants enjoy a wide variety of class choices and a roster of widely respected, national speakers.
All trainings offer continuing education units for counselors and social workers, are reasonably priced and are also beneficial to local community officials and social service employees.
Today’s objectives
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 What is a Volunteer Reception Center or VRC?
 Why is a VRC important?
 What is your role?
What is a VRC?
 A Volunteer Reception Center or “VRC” is an organized process and a designated location in which individual or group volunteers, called upon in the time of a disaster, can report to. Volunteers are registered, oriented and briefed on safety issues and matched to an appropriate volunteer job.
 VRCs are operated by trained volunteers that greet, interview, place and maintain records of volunteers.
 Affiliated volunteers are volunteers that are already associated with an agency or group that is active in disaster.
 Spontaneous volunteers are volunteers that just show up wanting to help.
What problems might arise if
spontaneous volunteers arrive at a
disaster site to help with recovery?
What can go wrong?
Without planning, control, and practice spontaneous unaffiliated volunteers can hinder response and recovery efforts • Volunteers arrive at site with improper clothing, equipment
• Volunteers require immediate training on‐site putting a strain on emergency responders
• Volunteers report to multiple, uncoordinated locations adding to chaos and creating congestion which interferes with response
• Volunteers are unprepared for lack of housing/food
Why is a VRC important?
The great American ideal of volunteerism is truly one of the most patriotic endeavors of the citizens of this country. The VRC model provides a established method for utilizing volunteers A VRC provides a positive public perception of cooperation among public and private sectors Provides one location that volunteers can report to, making it less confusing for the volunteer
Provides added layer of protection and control for victims of disaster
More benefits of a VRC
Provides skilled volunteer management staff that have been trained to handle volunteers in the time of a disaster
Documentation of donated services provides financial value for disaster reimbursement matching funds
Allows volunteers with specific skills to be utilized to their full capacity.
Volunteers can be counted on to do amazing work to assist their fellow human beings Nothing ever happens here…
A disaster is “a natural or manmade event that suddenly or significantly disrupts the environment of care and treatment; or changes or increases demands for the organizations services.”
Great flood of March, 1913
Delaware
1959
MOSCOW, OH
EF‐3 TORNADO 3‐2‐2012
Phases of a Disaster
The Four Phases of Emergency Management
Mitigation
Preventing future emergencies or minimizing their effects
Includes any activities that prevent an emergency, reduce the chance of an emergency happening, or reduce the damaging effects of unavoidable emergencies. Buying flood and fire insurance for your home is a mitigation activity. Mitigation activities take place before and after emergencies.
Preparedness
Preparing to handle an emergency
Includes plans or preparations made to save lives and to help response and rescue operations. Evacuation plans and stocking food and water are both examples of preparedness. Preparedness activities take place before an emergency occurs.
Response
Responding safely to an emergency
Includes actions taken to save lives and prevent further property damage in an emergency situation. Response is putting your preparedness plans into action. Seeking shelter from a tornado or turning off gas valves in an earthquake are both response activities. Response activities take place during an emergency.
Recovery
Recovering from an emergency
Includes actions taken to return to a normal or an even safer situation following an emergency. Recovery includes getting financial assistance to help pay for the repairs. Recovery activities take place after an emergency.
What to Expect in a Disaster
Extensive damage to buildings, utilities and other infrastructure
Casualties‐‐Hospitals and health resources overwhelmed
Heavy law enforcement involvement
Extensive media coverage
People will be fearful and stressed
Schools and businesses may be closed
Restrictions on travel
High level of dependence on others for assistance
When is a VRC activated?
A VRC may be activated during the Response Phase and may last during the Recovery Phase. The Delaware County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) will order the opening of the VRC when a requesting agency, having response or recovery responsibilities, including Connections Volunteer Center, has unmet volunteer needs . When the VRC is activated, Connections will notify the VRC Director, volunteers and other support agencies tasked with specific implementation roles. Why is a VRC activated?
When the nature of the disaster and/or media coverage makes the convergence of unaffiliated volunteers likely.
When shortages of workers require augmentation of staffing support from outside resources.
Andrews House
If Connections Volunteer Center is unable to manage the volunteer load, they will determine, with the help of the Delco EMA, when to open a limited size VRC. Trained volunteers will be contacted to assist in opening the VRC.
Camp Lazarus
Camp Lazarus is a secondary location for a VRC.
Sunbury United Methodist Church
Sunbury United Methodist Church is a secondary location for a VRC.
Liberty Twp./Powell
YMCA
In the event of a large scale disaster which makes national news and brings a large number of spontaneous volunteers, Delco EMA will request a larger scale VRC be opened in Southern Delaware County at the Liberty Twp. Powell YMCA in partnership with HandsOn of Central Ohio.
Floor plan
CREDENTIALING &
LOYALTY OATH
EXIT
TRANSPORTATION
SECURITY
WAITING AREA
INFORMATION,
SAFETY BRIEFING
VOLUNTEER REQUESTS
COMMUNICATIONS
RUNNERS
ORIENTATION
REGISTRATION
GREETERS
ENTRANCE
INTERVIEW &
ASSIGNMENT
What is your role?
Today we understand we can be victims of an emergency or disaster at anytime or anyplace. It is through training and education of people, like you, who are willing to help others, that will make a big difference in the outcomes of major emergencies and disasters.
Pre‐planning and drilling among professional responders and volunteers is key to ensure a smooth response when disaster does strike. VRC Roles
 VRC Director
 Oversight and Management of VRC operations
 Receives initial phone call from Connections
 Works to develop a climate of cooperation
 Helps ensure proper documentation
 Staff assignments
VRC Roles
 Administrative team
 Public Information Officer
 Receive volunteer requests & phones
 Communications

May receive situational messages from EOC to be delivered to VRC Director
 Database administration
 Administrative assistance
 Mental Health Liaison
 Security
VRC Roles
 Greeter Team
 Most important roles of the VRC
 Makes first impression
 Welcome volunteers/internal traffic control
 Handles general information
 Verifies that volunteers are 18 or over  Assess volunteers to make sure they are appropriately dressed for specific incident
 Waiting area host
 Runner Team
 Internal Communication Support
 Provide connection to all stations
 Reduction in noise level
VRC Roles
 Risk Management Team
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

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Disaster specific training
Orientation development & facilitation
Safety briefing development & facilitation
May include Security
Information dissemination within the VRC
 Provide volunteers with overview of situation
 Explain briefly specific volunteer tasks available
 Review basic safety with volunteers
 Offer in‐or‐out option  Respond to questions and concerns
VRC Roles
 Registration, Interview & Assignment
 Responsible for the Registration, Interview & Assignment of volunteers
 Interview unaffiliated volunteers to determine appropriate skills
 Determine inappropriate volunteers
 Most time consuming process in the VRC, may require more staff as volunteer numbers rise
VRC Roles
 Credential Team
 All Paperwork is properly completed
 Dispense proper credentials
 Administer loyalty oath
VRC Functional Exercise
It is early Spring and the hazardous weather associated with a cold front moving through the region has spawned a series of thunderstorms producing damaging winds, lightning, flash flooding and tornados. This resulted in damages to the Delaware County Fairgrounds and the Delaware County Library. Trees are down throughout the county. Power has been lost in many areas across the city.
VRC Conclusion
Volunteers will be spontaneous but the management of them should not be.
Seeking VRC Volunteer Director
Questions
Suggestions
Follow Connections…
web
Connectionsvolunteercenter.org
Facebook.com/Connectionsvolunteercenter.org
@connectionsvc
Connections Volunteer Center
39 W. Winter St.
Delaware, OH 43015
740‐363‐5000