TSP DRT - Requirements and Resource list

[seabeeprepared]

couple ideas that might come in handy

portable shower stall (tent) and instant shower(propane hot water heater),
or just a case of baby wipes to help people feel human again.

as far as cooking goes, soups are simple and easy for anyone to cook,
dont forget how good a hot donut (even if its not a fancy one) can taste when you feel like crap.
camp style coffee or hot cocoa to give some one a warm pick me up.

rolls of plastic sheeting and duck tape to seal broken windows.
heavy chemical resistant gloves for sifting through unknown fluids

rope so that people can tie up their loose animals
and a simple fabric litter for carying out someone who can not walk.

count me in! im in spokane wa
my 4x4 jeep has a battery backup system with 1600 watt inverter
6 gas cans
ambulance style first aid kit
winch for moving logs and cars
chainsaw, tree felling kit.
honda eu2000i generator
camp chef portable stove
basic hand tools, shovels, rakes,
2liter water bottles, kaytadyn filter.

[nutcase]

Great posts. In my experience, mostly wildland fires it takes at least a day for the Larger organization to start rolling and often days to really get a handle on what is needed. This is why local people are going to be key in the operation. AS we grow and develop we need as many contacts as we can in as many communities as possible. If something were to happen in my community I would be very well connected to emergency services and could help direct where our services could be used most effectively. For this reason I would hope that everyone possible at least contacts the regional folks so that we have contacts in each community to help coordinate needs. And with that a way to contact you if normal communication is down. This is why we are organizing now so that these relationships are established before the event.

Additionally as we organize locally we will know who has the teams for what needs. I.E. Food, Shelter, tools, etc.

The danger we face is TOO MUCH organization that could bog down the process.

The classes suggested are a great first step. Most if not all are offered online that you can do in your own time, at your own pace.

As I understood the first vision for this, it was to get folks there ASAP to help. A scout or recon team is a great Idea. The government does the same thing, and based on first impressions starts ordering supplies based on needs. I am not trying to pooh-pooh the idea because I think it is essential. I am just trying to think of a way to make it as fast a possible. If my home were flattened by tornado I think I know what I would need, so those resources could start responding to a staging area. Then deployed to forward area based on reports from the scouts.

If nothing else we could establish relationships with churches in a given area to coordinate needs.

Just my $.02

Keep the ideas flowing.

[OutWestTX]

Just wondering if anything has become of this.  Is there a Team at this point?  Who is the contact person?  What is the mission statement? 

From my experience, you need a mission statement before you start collecting equipment and recruiting members.  You have to know what the mission is before you can respond. 

Then, you will need an organizational structure.  Then, a contact person/s.  You will need a way to manage your resources and a way to dispatch those resources.  It is all spelled out in the NIMS Incident Command class.

NIMS started because of the problems in the response to Hurricane Katrina.  You had multiple agencies duplicating some responses and ignorning others.  You had agencies that could not communicate with each other because their 10-Codes and radio protocols were different.  You had some agencies trying to order others around.  Too many people in charge and too many people misdirecting resources. 

I will also tell you from experience that you will not be allowed to show up uninvited once FEMA is in control of a scene.  For example, during the 2011 wildfires in Texas, church groups and volunteer fire canteens were threatened with arrest for trying to pass out sandwiches and bottled water at the Bastrop fire grounds.  You will have to have personnel on the inside and pre-approved in order to gain access to many disasters. 

Texas has an amazing disaster infrastructure in place.  There are pre-placed resources and personnel all over the state.  When FEMA shows up, they seize it all and you never get it back.  You should have seen the stuff they made off with after Hurricane Ike.  How many people are going to volunteer their personal generators and equipment knowing they will never see it again? 

[Hootie]

Just wondering if anything has become of this.  Is there a Team at this point?  Who is the contact person?  What is the mission statement? 

From what I know they are still organizing.  DRT is now CAC (Citizens Assisting Citizens)
It was briefly mentioned in TSP Ep 1254

You can make a difference even if you don’t have a lot of excess time or cash. If you have skills, knowledge, time, money or equipment that you want to volunteer to help your fellow citizens please contact us at volunteers@cacteam.com.

-Via http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/citizens-assisting-citizens-to-go-live-in-2014


See the following links for more info
http://cacteam.com/
http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/?s=Citizens+Assisting+Citizens+
http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/feedback-11-25-13
http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/citizens-assisting-citizens-to-go-live-in-2014

[nitehawg]

Thanks for your response Hootie,
Also, please understand that the web-site is still being developed.  When you go there you will find some accurate information and some info that is just page holder info.

OutWestTX, thank you for your post and input. We are incorporated as a not for profit in CO and are awaiting our 501(c)(3) from the IRS.  Our Governance policy and By-laws are on the CAC web-site.  We have a Board of Directors and an Executive Director (me), we are building our Advisory Board as we consult with experts in different fields and they agree to serve.  We are recruiting qualified volunteers to serve as Region Coordinators (FEMA Regions). We are developing a basic curriculum which will include selected FEMA, NIMS, CERT and other courses for our volunteers. 

nutcase, also thank you for your post and input.  Our vision is to be a local organization that has nationwide resources.  My decision to use FEMA region divisions is for administrative purposes only.  I felt it would be impossible for one person to maintain quality contact with volunteers from across the nation, much less make decisions for the different areas of the country.  Quick local response is vitally important along with  the ability to communicate with those responding to bring additional needed resources.  I agree with the concept of the churches, it seems people naturally gravitate to them in times of need.

In summary, no it hasn't been as quick as we wanted.  We recognized  that doing it right at the outset was absolutely necessary.  Sometimes .gov doesn't work as quickly as we would hope.  Sometimes we don't work as quickly as we would like.  We've worked on ideas only to find them impractical and have to start over again.  We're not re-inventing the wheel but we're not going to accept a square one either.  Please continue to post ideas and questions or IM me with comments. 

Thanks to everybody for their interest and patience.

[CharlesH]

Nitehawg,  Can't ask for more than that.  Good luck.  Things have a way of working out in their own time.  When we look back from the other side of complete, what seemed like a long haul to get there usually wasn't as bad as we thought.

[RangerRick]

To save a lot of reply's you might just go to the Red Cross Disaster Supplies list as well as the Homeland Security disaster supply list.
As I have stated earlier, I have been at this for a while and if you can't get down the road due to trees being in the way, a chain saw is a must. You need to be able to make your own drinking water, cook your food ect. While at Katrina, FEMA really made a mess of things and sent groups elsewhere to stage and I was in one of the groups WEST and NORTH of town. When the flood waters came in we were cut off. You will need good topo maps of the area you are going into to see what dangers lie ahead. We were low ground and we got wet. You will need weapons, so make sure you have folks that can do that. Cotton mouth, copperheads and rattlesnakes were everywhere. I did not run into any ,but I heard there were alligator's also, pet dogs will become vicious in short order.. You must think out of the box. You can not believe how big a trailer you need to haul just your stuff if you are going for 2 or 3 weeks to help out.
Most of these missions were from East coast and Gulf  hurricane disasters I have worked over the past few decades.
Best Regards, Rick

[AngusBangus]

If you are interested and haven't already, please visit CACTeam.com to sign up and/or donate. We need everyone who is willing. Signing up in no way commits you to any specific disaster response... we aren't the military. If you can't support us with your time or money, please support us with your social capital. That is, go to the website and share it to your social networks (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.)

Dillon - Region IV Coordinator

NOTE: I will be posting this across multiple threads within the TSP DRT board to reach the widest audience. I believe this is not outside the forum rules given that this board is dedicated to this specific subject.

[Cedar]

First Responder Training is generally available to members of volunteer fire departments. Check with your local fire department. Its a 40 hour classroom course.

It has been renamed to be "Emergency Medical Responder" in most states and it is now 60-70 hours of classroom time. Practices and studying for tests on top of that. Just the book costs $110, total cost of my class was $200.

Cedar - who hopes she passes her final practicals tomorrow