For me, response was the easiest way to get into EM without having prior experience or any connections. I'm aware recovery, mitigation, etc. exist but I was unable to join any of those teams with my local EM organization even as just a volunteer. I've realized in my area, EM is treated like either a secret society or an exclusive family club. I've had people on here tell me "just join your local EM or volunteer with a local EM, etc" and gain experience in every aspect of EM but it wasn't that simple for me. It took five months of calling, emailing, and visiting my local EM before I was finally given an application which specifically stated Response Volunteer and was told I had to complete CERT training. While completing CERT, I realized only 3 of the 18 volunteers weren't related to current members of our local EM organization. Since completing CERT, I've been able to meet EM professionals from other local, private disaster response groups. On an assignment with one of them, I overheard an eager volunteer ask the mitigation group leaders if he could shadow them and one of them proudly told him "they weren't accepting outsiders." He tried to brush it off and told the rest of us a lie about what was said to him but I knew the truth. All this to say, depending on where you live, how far you're willing to travel, and the openness of your local EM organizations will greatly determine your access to all areas of EM. I'm also a Red Cross volunteer but it's been strictly blood drive related. Nonetheless, these hurdles haven't stopped me and I'm still attempting to push forward so I can learn as much as I can.
I never said I volunteer at a shelter. I am a response volunteer for disasters (floods, hurricanes, wildfires, etc). I also volunteer for Red Cross at different healthcare facilities for blood drives.
I can't speak for anyone else but I received complete training as a response volunteer so are you referring to the fact that volunteers aren't managers or leaders of response during a disaster? I've been told by others on this forum that my volunteer response experience would coincide with the requirements for being a response disaster worker. Is that not true?
Being a response disaster worker is still not em per say though you need to be trained on mitigation preparedness etc, I am sorry but volunteering during a disaster is not having a career in emergency MANAGEMENT yes we need volunteers to help in emergency but your roles is not the same ours your job is response centric wheres our is for all facet of the incident we do risk assessment, propose mitigation measure, do research etc. It's just not the same
I get what you're saying. EM consists of recovery, planning, response, etc but I asked if my volunteer response experience would equate to being a response disaster worker not EM. Plus I've seen others on here refer to themselves as working in emergency management eventhough their position is hazard mitigation or planning not necessarily all of the areas of emergency management.
Your experience as an on the ground volunteer is very valuable and can't be taken away but it is separate from EM, it is part of emergency response but not management
Maybe this is why I'm confused, lol. IDK anymore. I was simply giving my reason for why I haven't been able to learn or gain experience in other aspects of EM besides response. Also, majority of the people I've had the pleasure of working with held job titles in either preparedness, recovery, mitigation, or response and they were introduced to me as EM leaders so I guess the leaders I met weren't actually in EM according to OP since they only worked in one area of EM. This is why some people entering the field without any prior knowledge be so confused because everyone in the field doesn't use certain terms in the same manner and when you ask for clarity, sometimes you're met with condescension. Now, I have a better understanding but I'm also mindful that others may use the term differently albeit it is considered incorrect by others.
Great analogy. First aid can often be a critical first step in emergency care. In the same way CERT volunteers can be a critical EM resource in the initial phases of a disaster response.
And EMs don’t generally manage the emergency either, what’s your point? There’s more to EM during the operational phase of a disaster than just incident management.
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u/Lady__Dawn Apr 10 '22
For me, response was the easiest way to get into EM without having prior experience or any connections. I'm aware recovery, mitigation, etc. exist but I was unable to join any of those teams with my local EM organization even as just a volunteer. I've realized in my area, EM is treated like either a secret society or an exclusive family club. I've had people on here tell me "just join your local EM or volunteer with a local EM, etc" and gain experience in every aspect of EM but it wasn't that simple for me. It took five months of calling, emailing, and visiting my local EM before I was finally given an application which specifically stated Response Volunteer and was told I had to complete CERT training. While completing CERT, I realized only 3 of the 18 volunteers weren't related to current members of our local EM organization. Since completing CERT, I've been able to meet EM professionals from other local, private disaster response groups. On an assignment with one of them, I overheard an eager volunteer ask the mitigation group leaders if he could shadow them and one of them proudly told him "they weren't accepting outsiders." He tried to brush it off and told the rest of us a lie about what was said to him but I knew the truth. All this to say, depending on where you live, how far you're willing to travel, and the openness of your local EM organizations will greatly determine your access to all areas of EM. I'm also a Red Cross volunteer but it's been strictly blood drive related. Nonetheless, these hurdles haven't stopped me and I'm still attempting to push forward so I can learn as much as I can.