American Red Cross looking for more volunteers

The American Red Cross Disaster Action Team is the core of disaster response for the organization.

Team members are on call 24 hours a day, and wake up sometimes in the middle of the night to assist people displaced by fires and other disasters. Thier key role is serving their neighbors and community as well as being there when their needed the most.

“Firefighters are taking care of the fire, we’re taking care of the families. Both at the time of the fire, but also days and weeks afterward to help them meet their emergency needs, because often times they have no one else to turn to except for the American red cross,” Volunteer Peter Teahen said.

The Red Cross is looking for dedicated volunteers who want to serve with the team. Members spend a week on call and rotate through the months. Teahean said it’s not only about fires, team members spend a lot of time educating also.

“We’re out there teaching people how to prevent fires, how to be safe, how to prepare for fires and disasters. We’re also there doing smoke installation and smoke detector education where we go out and help fire departments install smoke detectors, educate people how to prepare to escape their homes in the time of a fire,” Teahen said.

The demand for services increases daily, but the need for Disaster Team Members is the greatest. If you’re interested in signing up for any volunteer position you can visit this