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APPENDIX

Submitted by Diane Knudsen, Boulder County Volunteer Initiatives Coordinator, Boulder CO USA
I took seriously this hot topic and, with agreement from Boulder County's volunteer program managers, wrote the following proposal. The County's Emergency Management Director will meet with us in January to discuss how we will implement. The Sheriff and the County Commissioners think the proposal is excellent. We will be adding city and non-profit volunteer program managers to the plan also.

ORGANIZING VOLUNTEER CITIZEN RESPONSE TO A CATASTROPHIC EVENT

The events of September 11 and the response from citizens who urgently wanted to volunteer in some way, particularly in New York City, have prompted the Volunteer Program Managers in Boulder County government to offer their expertise in case of an act of terrorism or any catastrophic event in this area.

As trained professionals in volunteer management, we have useful skills to offer in volunteer organization and direction. We recognize that we do not have expertise in disaster response, but believe that our volunteer management skills would be useful within the total disaster response plan.

Immediately following a traumatic event, great confusion could occur as hundreds or thousands of well-meaning people, wanting to help, descend on an area. However, placing our organizational skills into the total plan now could, at the time of an event, lessen confusion, mitigate the possibilities for citizen frustration and disappointment when offers of help are refused, and move volunteers more efficiently into areas where their skills are needed.

We do not propose taking responsibility for the volunteers who are part of disaster response teams, such as firefighters, rescuers, medical personnel, and public safety staff. They are trained and organized. Nor do we propose taking responsibility for agency volunteers with awareness, knowledge, and skills within their own environment, such as hospitals, mental health centers, and the Red Cross.

We do offer volunteer management at a location where citizens who want to help or spontaneously show up at the disaster site could be directed, thus relieving rescuers who are managing the scene of being responsible for new arrivals. At that location, we and others with volunteer program management expertise could 1) be the recruiting point for teams or agencies/organizations that need immediate help with disaster response; 2) welcome, screen, refer or defer, and thank those who come for a myriad of reasons to volunteer; and 3) when there is no further immediate need, suggest other avenues for involvement in the community through its agencies and organizations.

Knowing that we can be prepared for the human response that will come following a major community disaster, we look forward to discussion about this segment of the disaster preparedness plan in Boulder County.

Diane Knudsen, Boulder County Volunteer Initiatives
Jan Allan, Justice System Volunteer Program
Lynette Anderson, Parks and Open Space Department
Larry Colbenson, Parks and Open Space Department
Emily Cooper, Aging Division, Community Services Department
Tessa Davis, Project Work Together
Cole Early, Parks and Open Space Department
Sarah Jussen, Sheriff's Office
Donna Koehler, Health Department
Eric Schulz, Social Services Department

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