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Call goes out for emergency support volunteers

Should there be a disaster, they provide services for evacuated residents
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The District of Houston is looking for volunteers ready to step up and assist others in the area in case a disaster or other emergency forces people out of their homes or residences or otherwise results in a disruption in everyday lives.

The official title given the volunteer group is ‘Houston Emergency Support Services’ and the District has the responsibility for its set up and functioning, says Jim Daigneault the District’s fire chief and protective services director.

Training is available for emergency scene response, evacuee registration and referrals, reception centre operations, group lodging operations and mental health and psychological first aid.

Daigneault said other emergency response services in the area have sufficient volunteers but that emergency support services could use additional volunteers.

“Now we have about six volunteers but it would be nice to get approximately 10 more if we have a long event,” he said.

“There is a fair amount of training required to be able to understand the whole operation and be able to sign in the people that need assistance.”

Volunteers for emergency support services meet monthly for about two hours and should be available for specific training and be in a position to respond if ever needed.

“Depending on the event there may be some interaction with the other responder agencies but for the most part they will be set up at a separate registration center,” said Daigneault.

Emergency support volunteers could undertake a number of duties depending upon the situation.

They could include coordinating food, clothing, and lodging, transportation, pet care, family reunification, providing information, identifying reception centre locations and lodging.

Emergency support services groups established by local governments across the province are one of six volunteer functions under the umbrella of public safety within the provincial emergency management program.

The other five are ground search and rescue, marine search and rescue, air search and rescue, road rescue and emergency radio communications.

There’s no application deadline to join Houston Emergency Support Services and Daigneault said interested people can email ess@houston.ca for more information.