The truth is, we can only do so much to prepare on our own, and the more prepared other people around us are, the better off we’ll be in an emergency situation.  So, if there is a way to aide our community in preparation efforts, it will only enhance our personal preparedness.

Today we’ll look at a few different ways that you can help your community prepare for an emergency through established preparedness or emergency response programs.

Volunteer with your local Red Cross. 

When I was living in Chile on foreign exchange, I had the opportunity to volunteer at the local Red Cross with one of my sisters from my host family.  On that particular evening, we attended training and then we sorted clothing for people affected by disasters.

The Red Cross has a variety of different volunteer programs, including disaster response, and a variety of other charity-type programs.  Volunteers are asked to commit to at least a few hours per week, or occasional disaster deployment.  Everyone completes an orientation class, and training.

Participate with a local scouting program.

The boy scouts’ motto is “Be Prepared!”  Those who volunteer with scouting programs have the opportunity to help young people learn about preparedness.  Depending on your level of involvement, you may get to participate in camp-outs and learn survival skills, like how to build a fire, how to tie various knots, how to set up shelters, and so forth.

Complete CERT training.

CERT is the “Community Emergency Response Teams” program.  The purpose of the program is to train groups to respond locally in emergencies.  Participants attend weekly training classes for a few months, and they learn how to respond to various disasters that could occur in their area.  Teams learn about fire safety, basic search and rescue, medical response for disasters, and so forth.  The classes involve a fair amount of hands-on practice.  At the end of the program, the team responds to a fake disaster to practice everything they’ve learned.  The class is not usually free; you have to purchase some basic supplies.

If you’re interested in participating in a CERT program, check with your city or your fire department to see whether they offer them.  (Here in Utah, the fire department teaches the CERT classes.)  CERT classes are sometimes sponsored by particular groups—companies sometimes offer CERT trainings to employees so that the company is more prepared for emergencies that may happen at or during work; churches, neighborhoods, and other groups (with some minimum number of people) can also request CERT training.

Hopefully this gives you a few ideas.  Check with your local Red Cross, or your fire department, and you may find the perfect opportunity to get involved.  If not, check out Part II for some other ideas!