Volunteers Needed...
You need to be trained. In order to provide support in the event of an emergency—or even in a non-emergency situation—you need to have the proper training and licensing. Learn more about the ARRL Emergency Communications Training course.
• You need to be equipped with sustaining skills. What if when you get to a location, there is no food and the sleeping conditions are undesirable? Before you leave on your assignment, you need to make sure you have coping skills that enable you to be able to do your job operating under the conditions you are assigned to—from hardship conditions to making sure you’re able to work the equipment.
• You need to prepare your family for your absence. When you leave home and head for a disaster area, your family has to be both physically and mentally able to cope. After a disaster, when a volunteer comes home, he or she can be confronted by some mental health issues, for which there are several resources. Many volunteers experience everything from fatigue or exhaustion to depression.
• You need to find ways to volunteer. You would first want to become a member of your local ARES, CERT, RACES or local emergency management organization. Then try the American Red Cross or Web sites like Ready.gov.
Public Service Events:
Walk-a-thons, bike-a-thons, parades, festivals and community events.Time commitment is typically defined in advance.
Equipment is minimal; often you will only be asked to bring a hand-held radio.
Responsibilities may include supporting the communications needs of the community agency such as crowd control efforts, first aid stations, parking, etc.
Localized Disaster:
Flooding, tornados, or any substantial weather event, where it might not disrupt major areas of communications, but there is still a need for communications to be set upSearch, rescue, and traffic needs during the local disaster.
Time commitment is less than a major disaster
Typically the volunteer would be part of an organization. The organization would have a pre-planned list of expectations and roles.
Major Disaster:
Wide-spread weather events, such as hurricane, tornados, snow storms, earthquakes.
A longer time commitment--several weeks to a few months.
Volunteers need to prepare their families for their absences.
In addition to personal Go Kits, volunteers may also need to bring their long-term Deployment Kits.