Transcript Voluntary Action Center of Greater Prince William

Help Us Help You!
Patrick M. Collins
Prince William County Emergency Services Manager
Bonnie Nahas
Volunteer Prince William
Emergency Preparedness:
It’s Everybody’s Job
• Personal preparedness
• Prepare your business
• Working with volunteers
Personal Preparedness
• Be Informed
• Make a Plan
• Build a Kit
– How many ways can we say it?
– Unfortunately, the best incentive is the next
disaster.
Understand What Could Happen
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Look where you live
Find out about neighborhood disaster plans
Understand the threat
What might occur that would require you to
leave?
How Will You Detect the
Emergency?
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Weather Radio
Alarms (smoke and CO)
Media (WTOP and WMAL)
PWCAN
Social media
Mobile apps
Create an Emergency Plan
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Meet with your family
Determine where to meet
Have an out-of-town contact
Emergency plan for mobility impaired
Evacuate vs. Sheltering
What to do if you have a disaster
Emergency plan for family pets
Disaster Supplies Kit
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Food and water: at least 3 day’s supply
Clothing
First aid kit (prescriptions, eyeglasses)
Emergency tools (flashlight, radio)
Car keys, Cash, CC
Sanitation supplies
Important documents
Supplies for special needs and pets
Preparedness Checklist
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Emergency Numbers
Utilities
Fire Extinguisher
Smoke Alarm (CO)
Escape Routes
Electrical Power
First Aid/CPR
Inventory Home Possessions
Weather Radio
Checklist
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Smoke alarm
Carbon monoxide alarm
Weather radio
PWCAN
Family Plan
Protecting Your Business
• What are your responsibilities as an HOA or
Civic Association following a disaster?
• Do you have an Emergency Operations Plan
and a Continuity of Operations Plan?
• Do you have a plan to coordinate neighborhood
volunteers?
Who is Responsible?
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Roads/parking lots/sidewalks
Debris removal
Trash collection
Landscaping
Common buildings/property
Protect Your Property
• Secure roof
• Clear gutters and stormwater drains
• Secure fuel tanks, water heaters and appliances
that may shift during flooding
• Keep trees and shrubbery trimmed and free of
dead limbs
• Secure outdoor items during severe weather
• Know your flood risk (flood plain, stormwater
runoff)
Plan Ahead
• Review insurance coverage
• Review contracts
• Develop communication plans
– With management
– With residents
– With critical partners
– With volunteers
• Volunteer coordination
What’s Happening While Your
Phone is Ringing?
• As a neighborhood leader do you often feel as
though you have ASK ME written on your
forehead?
• Know where to get ACCURATE information.
• You are a great resource for SITUATIONAL
AWARENESS.
• Know how to report: PWC Non-Emergency
number 703-792-6500
Emergency Operations Center: 703-792-7020
Whole Community Approach
• Are there any neighbors in the ‘hood?
– How well do the families in you neighborhood
know one another?
– Who may be more vulnerable?
– Will they know the person knocking at their
door asking if they are “OK”?
But I just wanted to help . . .
• We certainly want neighbors to help
neighbors but remember:
– SAFETY FIRST
– RESPECT the individual
– Don’t be the Lone Ranger
• (know when to get (professional) help)
– Don’t forget the Insurance Company!
– Don’t share personal information in such a
way as to cause harm
Volunteers Affiliated vs.
Unaffiliated
• Affiliated Volunteers are those who are members
of one of your existing committees, participate
regularly, and generally speaking have a role
within your neighborhood structure. Some
examples are: your Neighborhood Watch
coordinator, your BOD officers; your
Beautification Committee members, your
neighborhood newsletter team.
• Unaffiliated Volunteers have not committed
themselves to a group but still want to help.
What / Who Are Your Existing
Resources?
• SAFETY first, last, and ALWAYS
• It is easy to get overwhelmed while trying to
create a volunteer position.
• You don’t have to invent anything, simply focus
on what would make life easier!
• Be sure to develop reporting protocols for
volunteers.
• Do you have:
– A Community Center?
– Phone Trees through existing groups/committees?
The Bigger Picture
• Volunteer Prince William provides volunteer and
donations management to Prince William County
Government following disasters.
• We will operate what is called a Volunteer Reception
Center either virtually or physically.
• Perhaps your neighborhood has resources to share?
• Learn how to help outside your community:
– www.volunteerprincewilliam.org
Un-Met Needs
• Through regional messaging, people who
become spontaneous volunteers will be
directed to the Reception Center and
AWAY from the scene of the disaster.
• At that point, they can be assigned jobs
according to community NEEDS.
Volunteer Reception Center
• A proven method for making efficient use of
volunteer resources; built on the Volunteer
Florida Model
• Volunteers are processed through a series of
stations where they must present ID and sign a
liability waiver.
• They are matched to a request for volunteer(s)
• They are given a cursory Safety Training
• They are given a color coded bracelet to show
they have been assigned to an agency
Evaluate Your Volunteer
Program
• How do you currently utilize volunteers?
• Do you have written volunteer position
descriptions?
• What can your regular committee
volunteers do outside their normal
capacity to assist in an emergency?
• Remember, you are likely to be affected
by the disaster too!
VPW Provides Regular
Training Sessions
Our next Volunteer Management Training
Series is:
• Wednesday, March 20th, 27th, and April 3rd and
17th
• Carteret Boys & Girls Club, Manassas at 7pm
• Each session builds on the next
• Our trainer is Trish Redmond.
Please go to www.volunteerprincewilliam.org and click on EVENTS to
register!
For More Information
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pwcgov.org/emergency
ready.gov
www.vaemergency.gov
readynova.org
redcross.org
Volunteerprincewilliam.org
Questions?