by Kate Collins

Volunteers from throughout the American Red Cross Kansas and Oklahoma Region recently gathered for a Disaster Action Team and Duty Officer training event.

Disaster Action Team volunteers provide 24-hour emergency response to local disasters, primarily home fires. Volunteers known as Duty Officers coordinate sending them to the scene of a disaster, where they give comfort and care to people who were affected.

Disaster Action Team members provide recovery resources like shelter; food; health services, including replacing lost medications and medical equipment; and financial assistance. Disaster Action Teams responded to about 1,800 home fires in Kansas and Oklahoma last year alone.

The Northern Oklahoma Chapter hosted the event in Perry, Oklahoma, in late August. Perry may be a town of only about 4,500 people, but it turned out to be an easily accessible middle spot for disaster workers across the two-state region. Several dozen volunteers and staff members attended to learn more about Disaster Action Team and Duty Officer roles, get new information, or brush up on their skills.

The event was mostly a volunteer-led experience and was open to anyone, from seasoned volunteers to newbies who had never gone on a response. Presenters included several longtime volunteers with deep knowledge of Disaster Action Team and Duty Officer work, like Bryan Ellis, Chantel Leiker, Dan Bowles, Sandra Peck, Janet Cordell and Janis Parker.

Topics covered included an overview of the Red Cross system used to manage Disaster Action Team responses across the country, Duty Officer guidance, a look at how to prepare for Disaster Action Team work, best practices for helping affected people, disaster health services, disaster mental health and spiritual care, and tips for responding to apartment fires, which can be complex incidents.

Pedro the Penguin made a special guest appearance. He came out and wowed the crowd, then laughed with everyone when "Randy Responder" performed a skit covering the do's and don'ts of being a Disaster Action Team member.

To cap things off, volunteer Charlie Downs brought the emergency response vehicle up from Guthrie with lots of donated cases of water that were distributed to volunteers to take back to their areas for future canteen and event needs.

Many staff members supported the event, too, from the regional level to individual chapters. Several volunteers made comments about wanting to attend similar events more often, and planning for those is underway.

Kate Collins signed up as a Red Cross volunteer to help her community after wildfires. She’s now the Community Disaster Program Specialist for the Red Cross Northern Oklahoma Chapter.