A Beginning, Not an End

Yesterday was the culmination and award ceremonies for National Consciousness Month. It was a true honor to be part of the festivities.

During this past month, we had the opportunity to participate and evaluate the following tabletops, exercises, and drills. In addition, taught several classes and train-the-trainer sessions.

• Central 911/Davao City Disaster Coordinating Council (DCDCC) Corporate Service Corps (CSC) Kickoff Meeting
• DCDCC/City Fire and Bomb Drill Tabletop Exercise - Final Planning Meeting
• RDCC Samal Island Water Rescue Exercise Tabletop Exercise - Final Planning Meeting
• DCDCC/City Fire IOC Fire Drill - Evaluator
• DCDCC/City Fire DTI Bomb Drill - Evaluator
• High School Earthquake Exercise, Evaluator
• Inter-Barangay First Aid Competition
• G402 Executive ICS and International Best Practices Training Session - DCDCC Executive Committee - Instructor
• Barangay Leaders Incident Command System (ICS) Train-the-trainer and International Best Practices Training Session - Instructor

These are just some of the many events that took place as part of National Consciousness Month.

Congratulations to all those that received awards.

ICS Training for Barangay Captains

We welcome the Barangay Captains who participated in the Incident Command System (ICS) train-the-trainer session to the "Neighbors Helping Neighbors" blog.


The "G402 Incident Command System (ICS) Overview for Executives/Senior Officials and Download Materials" can be found at:
http://training.fema.gov/STCourses/crsdesc_spec.asp?courseid=G402

The video shown was the Hats of Incident Management: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6iIz3tl5Vw

Several of the materials discussed in the course can be found in the right column on this blog, under "Related Websites".

The additional resources, including forms and other training material, from FEMA can be found at: http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/ICSResource/index.htm

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to send an email.

Sharing the Message with Your Family

In a disaster, you might know what to do, but does your family?


The Earth Is Shaking But These Students Know What To Do

Earlier in the week, when participating at a big school for a fire drill, the students evacuated very quickly. The pace of evacuation needs to such that no one gets hurt.

At an earthquake drill yesterday (the second one we participated in yesterday), the principal hit the hammer against the flagpole and the students quietly and orderly went to their assigned locations. They also buddy up and everyone was accounted for. The victims/actors were also evacuated and treated.

As part of the demobilization and debrief, I had the opportunity to address the participants, teachers, school administrators and local officials. I stressed the importance of awareness and preparedness not only at the school, but school is also only so many hours per day and the message also needs to be shared/passed on to the student's families.

The principal commented they plan to conduct exercises, "once a week so they can bring this home to their neighborhoods and families".

Also addressing the audience we a council representative who commented, "... in the near future, we will have our force multiplies, so later in life they can also use this so they can save lives, especially their neighbors."

This is what Neighbors Helping Neighbors is all about.

One Person and Two Sheets of Paper Can Make a Huge Difference

The first full day my team was here, we had the opportunity to enjoy the pleasures of Samal Island. However, today was different, we had a full scale disaster (exercise).


In a recent water search and rescue tabletop exercise, while we identified there was an incident commander (IC), safety officer, public information officer, logistics, administration and individual sections.

I pointed out there was no 1 person responsible for operations. For other exercises, it was the IC who took this role.

However, if we look at span of control, where it is mentioned that only 3 to 5 people report to any one person, the IC can quickly get overwhelmed.

So, it was recommended that someone take the role of Operations Section Chief. This person was the "man on the scene" working with the IC and the teams.

The exercise and communications was much improved as a result of changing one persons role.

It is amazing the difference one person can make.

The IC and operations chief were both able to identify how many resources they had and were. The leaders at all levels knew how many people they had and accountability was not an issue with the responders.

For larger incidents, as mentioned in the debrief, consider two big sheets of paper, one with the ICS organizational chart along with who is in what role. And another that is a map of the location, you can see where the staging area is, where the incident is, traffic flows, etc. This is a very simple no cost tip that can have a big impact.

The only potential issue with accountability was with medical, when asked of medical, how many patients were arriving on the boat, they may have said 3. However, 5 patients got off the boat. It appears the potential breakdown in communication was there were 3 red patients, 1 green and 1 black. So, the 3 were the red victims.

So, while we often say, give only the information someone is asking you, in this case, it might make sense to say, there are 5 victims total, 3 red, 1 green, 1 black and 0 yellow.

Also, in an early posting, we discussed location, location, location, keep the medical area out of the sun. If you have a building and this is a disaster, take over the building as appropriate. As learned in previous drills, the medical area needs to be clearly identified along with sections for red, yellow, and green patients. This was done and has become second nature to these responders.

At the beginning of the drill was a real incident where they need to apprehend an illegal fishing vessel. The drill was delayed, this was taken care of. And then we proceeded.

One other suggestion would be the staging area. Folks here are very eager to respond, get close to the scene and "do the most good for the most number of people" and quickly. However, improved staging and a dedicated staging leader in the staging area will make the response even more effective. In some of the pervious exercises, there was a "roaming IC", this was corrected and did not occur during this drill.

As a recommendation to the National Disaster Coordinating Council, this group did an excellent job using the resources at hand. However, if we look at the number of victims in the exercise and the response time, it will quickly become clear that more assistance would be needed.

Those agreements should be in place and thoroughly understood and exercised before a disaster.

Again team, job well done! They have been very receptive to the recommendations and quick to implement them.

Pictured before are some of the responders who provided safety for the exercise, along with the Regional Coordinating Council.

Competition brings people closer together

On Saturday, I had the opportunity to participate in the 3rd Annual Barangay Disaster Coordinating Council first aid competition. It was an exciting experience to participate and become an honorary member of the council.


At the beginning of the program, I had the opportunity to address the audience.


Participants, groups of volunteers, compete at multiple stations.

For this annual event there were six teams from different barangay (districts) within the city. The teams do not necessarily have any formal training, but are really good at what they do.





There is a clear contrast between the barangay teams and many of our Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT), which have formal training programs, but limited response. The barangay groups have limited formal training, self organized and often are the first on the scene to an incident.


Their volunteer response is part of their everyday life.


The following is a picture with all of the participants of this years program.



We would also like to introduce the world to my friends from the Silver Needles and all the other teams.


To get a true appreciation of this competition, take a look at the video from last years competition.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eV3v70VxwbM

For counties that have multiple CERT teams, you may consider having a similar competition between teams. This is also an excellent idea to implement with neighboring counties.

No Question WHY These People Volunteer! It's who they are.

While in the Asia Pacific, I have had the opportunity to meet some amazing, dedicated, energetic, passionate people. The words to describe them goes on and on.

Those from the Philippines National Red Cross are no exception. Everything about them is amazing.

There were only a limited number of people from the Red Cross at the first exercise, which I evaluated at the school. This was because these volunteers were responding to a bus incident with fatalities, where a device exploded.

In one of the newspapers, the following was written, "VOLUNTEER WORK for the sake of the community’s safety and peace of mind may not sound like a profitable calling for many. But it is surprising to note that nobler hearts in this generation have chosen to take the road less traveled."

At times, the question has been raised, why do people volunteer? And often those that volunteer have either a story, dream, or reason for their dedication.

As part of "Disaster Prevention Month", one of the newspapers featured a story about Rogelio U. Aca, Jr., from the Philippines National Red Cross.

According to the article, "Aca himself was a victim of an improvised bomb explosion inside a passenger jeepney. He lost so much blood and was brought to a hospital, but was attended to the next day, losing much blood and exposed to sepsis. He even lost a loved one seated beside him in that incident."

The complete story can be found at: http://www.mindanaotimes.com.ph/story.php?id=20777

Surprisingly enough, my new friend, Mr. Aca received some of his training from Virginia. "Neighbors Helping Neighbors" is truly about sharing experiences "locally and around the world". And it has truly been an honor to work with him and members of his team.

For those from outside of this region, the next time you work with volunteers, take a few minutes and ask them why they volunteer, you may be surprised.

I hope to keep in touch with all of the people I have met at the Philippines National Red Cross and other agencies in the Disaster Coordinating Council.

What Goes In, Must Go Out

Another excellent bomb drill at a major trade building. This one though created some concern to those that received phone calls, as it appeared so real that people thought it was the real thing. It was just a DRILL! These folks really know how to conduct an exercise with multiple agencies and jurisdictions involved.

With all the vehicles and traffic in this downtown area, it got me thinking about the location of vehicle staging areas.



Notice the clear paths in the picture. Emergency vehicles can easily go in and out. The fire trucks have easy access to the building.

It is also important to take a look at the staging area and other traffic in the area.

Here are some things to consider when setting up a vehicle staging area, many of these items were a non-issue for this drill, but just things for others to consider.

• When arriving on the scene, it is important to determine the best way to leave. The concept of what goes in, must go out.
  


• Will vehicles need to cross paths/intersections in order to get to the exits points?
  


• If fire trucks are lined up next to ambulances, are the ambulances best positioned to transfer the patients from the medical area to transport?
  
  
  
• Could that area be set up in such a way that multiple ambulances could be lined up to load mulitple patients?
  


• If fire trucks are in the staging area, do they have easy access and a clear path to the building?
  


• Where is the incident command post setup in relation to all of this?
  


• And above all, if the building were to collapse, are all the vehicles, people, and responders far enough away that they will not be harmed?

As they often say, it is all about "Location, location, location"

Pictured above are some of the members we have been working with from the Urban Search and Rescue Team.

Another great exercise, job well done!

How often do we say... we need more vests?

In many countries, departments order vests. Lots of vests. Different colors. Different wording.

Vests, vest, and more vests.

However, in some areas of the world there may be no clear identification for key leadership positions. At times, it may also be difficult to locate the command post, medical area, staging area, logistics, etc.

That being said, it might not be a concern as many responders in these communities know who is in charge and they all know their roles. The value really comes in when responders from other agencies or countries come in to help with local efforts.

There is a very simple solution to this.

All key positions should have some markings. If there is no funding for vests, then a simple cloth or piece paper could be labeled to identify the position. Another option might be hats with wording that identifies the role.

And always remember that people can wear different hats during an incident, but their roles need to be clear to others.

The following Hats of Incident Management video was highlighted in a recent training session. If you were unable to attend, please take some time to review the video to understand why we need ICS.

People need to know... who is in charge?

The same goes true for major areas. For example, to better identify a command post, connect a pole or even a tree to the vehicle, with a flag on top, so everyone can see. Small signs below eye level in vehicles sometimes out of the way tends to be less effective.

In the medical/triage area, make sure it is clear which areas are designated red, yellow, and green. And do not label the patients using red, yellow, or green paper, unless they are designated as such.

So little time, so little funding. Big interest in learning.

When asked to present the Incident Command System (ICS) to multiple groups in Asia Pacific, it was important to think of the best way to deliver a course that would have the greatest long term impact. However there is limited time and so it needed to be done without providing 2 weeks or a month worth of classes, but present a 4 hour session. While at the same time share experiences and best practices from other parts of the world.

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to present the G402 Incident Command System (ICS) Overview for Executives/Senior Officials course. The course can be found at: http://training.fema.gov/STCourses/crsdesc_spec.asp?courseid=G402

It is became clear very fast that even in different parts of the world, ICS is effective.

At the end of the Disaster Coordinating Council Executive Team session, several questions were raised. Some of them include:

- What are some examples of NGOs working with government agencies under ICS and the associated challenges.

- Where can we get more information and other best practices.

In the next few days, "Neighbors Helping Neighbors" will provide some additional resources around these topics. Several other courses will be taught in the next few weeks, along with tabletop and full scale exercises. Lessons from those sessions will be shared as well.

What? We should not call 911 in an emergency?

When you travel around the United States or to other parts of the world, did you ever think the emergency number might not be 911?

The following is a pretty thorough international resource for emergency telephone numbers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_telephone_number

Should you call the local operator instead? That is not recommended. You should always know your local emergency telephone number.

National CERT Group - CERT connecting to CERT One Neighbor and Community at a time.

As we get closer to National Night Out and National Preparedness Month 2008, please consider joining the Linked In Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Group.

There were several non-location specific CERT groups on Linked In and the managers of those five groups got together to form this one group, linking CERT volunteers across the United States.

Please note: This is not a new CERT team, but a way to link CERT volunteers.

Ready Travel - Concept for National Preparedness Month 2009

Dear Erin Streeter, Director, Ready.gov, U.S. Department of Homeland Security,

As we prepare for National Preparedness Month 2008, I would like to propose a concept and/or theme to be incorporated into National Preparedness Month 2009 - "Ready Travel".

There are many Americans who travel domestically and internationally, both on business and vacation.

But why is "Ready Travel" important?

For example, if there is a conference in Washington DC and people attend from California, will they get an emergency alert if the city needs to evacuate, should I shelter in place, etc.?

In addition, many of the alerting systems in the United States require people to register. If I live in Virginia, but work in DC occasionally or attend a conference there, should I and do I register for both systems? What if I also sometimes go to a college or school campus, as they often have different alert systems? This brings up another issue about location based alerting systems.

Last month, when I was speaking at the World Conference on Disaster Management in Toronto, it was raining pretty hard outside. After I spoke, I was talking to the people from a local emergency management group about how I received an alert back in Fairfax, VA, but if there was an alert in Toronto, I would not know. Would you believe, there was a similar alert going on in Toronto at the same time? Most people at the conference had no idea. I decided to ask the hotel if there were any alerts and they said they were not aware of any.

These examples highlight the need for increased "Ready"ness for travel. Those traveling outside their local cities within the United States, but also those from the United States traveling internationally. As well as, those from other countries visiting the United States.

As you are aware, I maintain a blog "Neighbors Helping Neighbors"
(http://citizencorps.blogspot.com/). Through the website, we share best practices and lessons learned both within the United States and internationally. It is clear there are many documents and resources available in the United States.

You may also want to take a look at these resources out of the United Kingdom. http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-and-living-overseas/publications



PS. Hi Erin :-)

Emergency Management Strategy for Remote Indigenous Communities

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AUSTRALIA

Emergency Management Australia (http://www.ema.gov.au/) provides an extensive resource for:

Keeping our mob safe: national emergency management strategy for remote Indigenous communities

In Australia, the term "mob" is used to describe a mass of common/similar people.

According to the website, "This strategy addresses the community emergency management priorities of remote Indigenous communities. It takes into account the broader community safety priorities and needs of remote Indigenous communities, as related to emergency management."

These recommendations can also be leveraged in less developed areas.

Australian Government Disaster Management Resources

According to the Australian Development Gateway Disaster Management section, it "... highlights practical information on disaster management including lessons learned from previous disasters, the complex issues relating to reconstruction and resettlement post-disaster and the challenges facing the re-establishment of economic livelihoods."

In the left frame are categories for many of the templates, best practices calendar of events, and other resources available on their website. There is also a section to "Ask the disaster management specialist"

Did you know that July is National Disaster Consciousness Month...

in the Philippines?


The Neighbors Helping Neighbors blog welcomes readers from the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC).

National Disaster Consciousness Month recently kicked off in Davao City.

http://ndcc.gov.ph/home/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=58&Itemid=1

This year's theme is "Pag Alerto, Malayo sa Peligro".

As part of the Corporate Service Corps, I will be in the Philippines, working with the Davao City Disaster Coordinating Council (DCDCC) and Central 911, including National Disaster Consciousness Month activities.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors Blog Joins National Preparedness Month Coalition For Second Year

For additional information on National Preparedness Month in the United States, please visit:

http://www.ready.gov/

It is hard to believe that this website was launched almost a year ago, as part of National Preparedness Month.

Can a computer catch a criminal?

The New York Police Department (NYPD) leverages technology to help fight crime. Is it a data warehouse? Or a true integrated solution.

The following article "Stopping Crime in Real Time" from Police Chief Magazine, highlights, NYPD "...knew that properly implemented technology could reduce police officers' reliance on paper reports and non-integrated databases to identify crime patterns, thus allowing officers to focus on what they do best: solving crimes and apprehending criminals."

The Real Time Crime Center Video highlights the true value of this solution.

Are your lessons learned only your own?

How often do you wonder if another jurisdiction is doing something similar?

Are there things that we might not have considered?

Are there best practices?

Did you know that the Lessons Learned Information Sharing network out of the United States Department of Homeland Security has a repository to address those questions and more.

Lessons Learned Information Sharing (LLIS.gov) is the national network of Lessons Learned, Best Practices, innovative ideas, and preparedness information for homeland security and emergency response professionals. By facilitating the sharing of knowledge, LLIS.gov enhances the nation's ability to prepare for and respond to terrorism, natural disasters, and other incidents. LLIS.gov is not only a repository for information but also a network that enables homeland security and emergency response professionals from across the country to share their knowledge and expertise in a secure, online environment.

(Reprinted from http://www.llis.dhs.gov/about.do)

After Action Report - Starting Point and Key To Future Success

Are you looking for a template to complete an after action report for your exercise?

The following after action template that is available from US Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) and can apply to exercises internationally.

Take a look at the HSEEP After Action Report/Improvement Plan
http://hseep.dhs.gov/support/AAR-IP_Template%202007.doc

At first, it might seem like a lot to do, but it really is not.

As you probably know, key to after action reports are just that "after actions", steps that can be taken to learn from mistakes and/or areas for improvement. All too often folks I work with, document or understand the lessons, but might not implement the recommendations.

For example, at an exercise that I recently participated in, there were busses to evacuate people in wheelchairs. The coordinators of the exercise assumed that each bus was a normal sized bus that could handle 30 people. The wheelchair equipped buses used for the exercise only handled 8 people. A pretty big lesson learned, as a significant amount of trips were required, which in turn delayed the evacuation. So, what was done was the special needs was changed from wheelchairs to deaf/hearing impaired, which did not require needing to address the limited bus space issue. Probably not the best solution. And potentially not something documented in the after action report and something that needed to be addressed.

What Are You Doing This Summer?

For IBMer Andrew Levy and his daughter Gabrielle, volunteerism is a family affair.

In honor of their service to the local community of Fairfax, Virginia, these President's Volunteer Service Award winners were recently named "Lord and Lady Fairfax." The tradition of honoring Lords and Ladies of Fairfax began in 1984 as a way to recognize the outstanding citizens of Fairfax County. At only five years old, Gabrielle is the youngest recipient in history to receive this honor.

"It is truly an honor to be recognized as a father–daughter team," says the elder Levy. "But our volunteer efforts really include the entire family. Volunteering and giving back to the community have become important family values for us. The earlier you instill those values, the greater the lifelong impact."

Along with mom, Eva–Beth and son Aiden, age three, the Levy family is often found at local events offering a helping hand. They have demonstrated solutions from TryScience at the Smithsonian's Family Day and highlighted the new PowerUp game on the National Mall with IBM during Earth Day.

Many random acts of kindness

For Gabrielle, her volunteer involvement at a Fairfax event got her started making greeting cards. These cards have expanded into what she calls her own company, "Caring Kids Cards."

With the help of younger brother Aiden, the Levy kids have made cards for members of the military stationed around the world, police officers, fire fighters, senior centers, students in college, transitioning parents and even cards in other languages. Often receiving orders for 50–100 cards at a time, Gabrielle and Aiden hope to impact over 10,000 people with their cards by the time they are teenagers. Their Web site was named a "Web site of the month" by the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation.

"I started volunteering when I was three years old," says Gabrielle. "I would like everyone to know that it does not matter how old you are. Even someone as young as two, like my brother Aiden, or younger, can make a card" — and make a difference.

Giving back globally: the Corporate Service Corps

As one of the first IBM Corporate Service Corps assignees, Andrew Levy is taking his passion for giving back on the road — and around the globe — as he prepares for a four–week assignment this July in the Philippines.

"I am excited about working with an international team in a culturally diverse environment to help solve challenges, to make a difference — and to learn in the process," says Levy. "We are not going to do a short–term job and then leave. We are there to help teach the locals, to mentor them, so they are able to continue with their newly learned skills and teach others as well."

(Reprinted from ibm.com)

So what are your children doing this summer? Disaster Preparedness Camp

Your child may be going to summer camp and taking Red Cross swimming lessons.

Did you know, there are some children around the world that are going to Disaster Preparedness Camp? Yes, Disaster Preparedness Camp.

While we have programs in the United States with the Boy and Girl Scouts for specific badges, take look at this program:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ccm8iNFp_A

We could probably agree that training is only good if the participants are able to leverage the skills in real world situations.

With the current economic situation in the United States, NGOs have become more dependent on volunteers and the skills gained through these training programs.

There are programs such as Model United Nations (UN), but it does not appear we have anything to this level, which focus around our youth:

Red Cross Youth Activated
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43psWTl53D0&feature=related

Other countries often look to the United States for best practices, but these are two programs that could have a major impact here.

Additional information can be found at:
http://www.rcyofuplb.org/index.php/Home.html

So far away, yet so similar?

The "Neighbors Helping Neighbors" blog welcomes readers from the Philippines.

Davao City Disaster Coordinating Council (DCDCC) and Central 911.

As you can see from the following website,
http://www.usvirtualconsulatedavao.org.ph/features/features01.html
there are other parts of the world that have emergency response systems similar to the United States and Canada.

In the next few weeks, this blog will share best practices and lessons learned from this region.

Taking National Preparedness Month Across Borders - Showcase Ontario

http://www.showcaseontario.com/2008/

During National Preparedness Month, Andrew Levy, upon his return from the IBM Corporate Service Corps project, will go beyond United States borders again and share lessons learned and best practices from multiple countries.

As part of this years theme, "Working Together - Working Smarter", participants will leave this featured presentation with:

1. Increased knowledge of how to leverage citizen groups for emergency response.
2. Understand ways to reduce load on Government during an emergency.
3. Learn how to reduce redundancy in public and private emergency programmes.
4. Be able to increase citizen participation in emergency simulations.

Last month, Andrew spoke at the World Conference on Disaster Management in Toronto, Canada, where he was asked to return to speak to this audience.

Many Organizations Represented at Local Parade

There were some recognizable people at the City of Fairfax July 4th parade.

Steve Willey – Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Instructor with Fair Oaks Volunteer Fire and Rescue.

Amy Tarte – Medical Reserve Corps and Health Department.

Brian Brendel – If you took ICS 300 or 400 locally, you should recognize him.

There were multiple Boy Scout troups who also marched in the parade.

And the many members of the City of Fairfax Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) who provided First Aid.

Should emergency response volunteers be background checked?

When talking about background checks, two of the main concerns are often the cost and the time that it takes a person to process it.

If a volunteer is wearing a vest from your jurisdiction, does the public make the assumption they have been checked?

So, what do some organizations do?

Lets look an organization that has been doing this type of volunteer work for a long time. The America Red Cross background checks their
volunteers - through a service http://www.mybackgroundcheck.com/

Organizations, such as Volunteer Fairfax, have also asked related questions on their blog - http://askanagency.blogspot.com/2008/03/background-checks.html

Is the assumption made by people in other agencies that volunteers have the same credentials as other volunteers?

Should all volunteers in an organization have background checks or just some? And is it then assumed all have gone through background checks?

If a police volunteer is working side by side with a fire volunteer who is working side by side a spontaneous volunteer, is it just assumed they have gone through a check (and similar training)?

What about if one jurisdiction does a background and the neighboring one does not, is it just assumed that everyone is background checked?

If you answered no to many or any of these questions, you may want to ask around. It is probably not the norm.

The next time you have a volunteer look after your children, might you want to ask some of these questions?

Liability Insurance - Does Anyone Have The Same Answer?

While in Toronto and others places that I speak, the question often comes up from volunteers, "what about liability insurance?"

Could I lose my house if I am just using my training and trying to do the right thing?

For example, if you see an accident happen and pull over on the side of the road and use the skills that you learned from a training class, would you be covered by the agency that trained you?

A volunteer may hear they are covered under the "Good Samaritan Law". And more often than not, in this example, that is probably how you are covered.

* Note - It is important to note there are often specific regulations as it relates to traffic management.

You will see there is much discussion in the industry about this. For example, check out the description and comment on Wikipedia -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Samaritan_Law

Some additional questions to consider:

- What if a person is asked to volunteer in a booth at a fair providing awareness to the public, are they covered?

- If a person is trained to act in a disaster, but there is no formal deployment plan and they help their neighbor are they covered?

- What if you are trained by one agency but deployed by another or volunteer for multiple agencies?

- Are you covered when you are at a training exercise?

- What about when you drive to the meeting or activity, are you covered?

- etc.

Some jurisdictions require activation or a state of emergency to be declared at the state level for certain coverage and deployment to occur.

Have you ever asked these questions and found the person you volunteer for needed to research it? Have you ever asked multiple people and got different answers? If so, which answer really applies?

Bottom line, if you have any concerns about this, you might want to ask for the official document that specifically highlights the coverage. And if you find that for your type of volunteering that it is not covered, might you want to ask why? After all, are you not an extension of that agency?

And no matter what you hear, you might also consider a personal liability umbrella insurance policy. The following website provides some addition information -> http://personalinsure.about.com/cs/umbrella/a/aa110503a.htm

Again, keep in mind, this is just something to think about and not legal advice.

Comments From A Reader

Thank you for your comments Terry.

"You're bringing REAL issues forth that most volunteer orgs just sweep under the rug and hope nobody asks"

To view his complete comments visit:
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=8844377697433004498&postID=1709018323705052841

Please keep in mind the information is designed for educational and awareness purposes only and is not provided as a professional service.

As with disaster preparedness, it all begins with awareness.

The next topic will present a sample "Terms of Use" and "Disclaimers" that others may want to leverage on their websites. This and none of the material provided should be seen as legal advice.

It not only applies to blogs, but also conferences, presentations, and other forms of communications.

Disclaimer and Terms of Use

The postings on this website are provided by individual contributors and do not necessarily represent any company, government or NGO’s positions, strategies or opinions. The information is designed for educational and awareness purposes only and is not provided as a professional service. None of the material is provided as legal advice. The contributors assume no responsibility for the accuracy of the information contained on this website. This website is available to the public and no confidential information should be posted.

ALL INFORMATION IS PROVIDED BY US ON AN "AS IS" BASIS ONLY. WE PROVIDE NO REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, MERCHANTABILITY AND NONINFRINGEMENT.

Each person accessing this information assumes full responsibility for its use and understands and agrees that the authors of this website are not responsible or liable for any claim, loss or damage arising from the use of the information including, without limitation, any direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages.

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