EMERGENCY SERVICES TEAM

The Emergency Services Team prepares for and responds to large and small disasters in the Twin Cities area and helps with large-scale disasters elsewhere in Minnesota and the country.  

The Red Cross trains volunteers all year-round to help others.  When disaster strikes, we deploy trained individuals to respond to the affected area to take care of the particular needs at that time.  The Twin Cities Area Chapter responds to approximately 300 disasters each year, most of which are local fires in single family homes and apartments.  Volunteers responding to these local disasters sign up for one or more 12-hour on-call shifts each week and respond as needed during these shifts.  Our disaster volunteers who deploy to large scale national disasters such as hurricanes are typically sent for 10 days to 3 weeks at a time. 

RESOURCES FOR CURRENT VOLUNTEERS

DAT Team Resources

Training

DSHR Updates

Tracking Hours

Emergency Services Staff

DAT Team Resources: 

These items are now posted on the "Disaster Action Team" Group Share page in MyRedCross!  Click here to view DAT news and access resources.

Training:

Disaster Services Core Curriculum:

In January 2009, a core curriculum was developed for disaster volunteers.  The following courses are required for all disaster (DAT and DSHR) volunteers who were accepted to the program January 2009 or later.  The courses are highly recommended for all disaster volunteers who began prior to January 2009.  If you have any questions about the curriculum, contact Megan Steffer (msteffer@redcrosstc.org) or Howard Bucknam (hbucknam@redcrosstc.org).

To be promoted in DAT or deploy nationally:
1. Client Casework: Providing Emergency Assistance
2. Mass Care: An Overview
3. Shelter Operations and Simulation
4. DAT Orientation
       
To be completed within 1 year of program acceptance:
1. Logistics: An Overview
2. Public Affairs: The Local Response
3. Psychological First Aid
       
Highly recommended for DAT responders:
1. Disaster Assessment Basics -- NEW!

Please see the Quarterly Disaster Training Schedule on this site for course availability and registration information.  Email your training questions and requests to DisasterTraining@redcrosstc.org.

DSHR Updates:

There has been a change to the Disaster Staff Card program.  Click here to read the new policies. 

To update changes in contact information:

For updates on availability, changes in contact information, or general questions, contact Megan Steffer.  To update this information on your DSHR profile, log in to the DSHR website.  If you are having difficulty logging in, just contact Megan.

We are now collecting DSHR paperwork every January.  The forms to be updated and returned to Megan are:

  Personal Statement of Understanding

  Health Status Record - DO NOT RETURN THIS FORM BY EMAIL!  In order to keep your health information confidential, this document needs to be brought into our offices and put in an envelope at the front desk or you can mail it to:

      Red Cross Emergency Services

      Attn: Disaster Health Services

      1201 West River Parkway

      Minneapolis, MN  55454

Tracking Hours

Because we value the contributions of our volunteers, we want to ensure accurate documentation of your volunteer hours.  As of July 1, 2009, we are now requesting all ES volunteers to use the Volunteer Timesheet to record their various hours spent serving the Red Cross mission.  This includes time scheduled as oncall, on disaster response, in related training, working on special projects at home or in the office, representing us at a meeting or fair, and more. 

Volunteer Timesheets should be completed quarterly and submitted to our shared inbox at ESHours@redcrosstc.org. If you have any questions about how to use this form, contact Megan Steffer (msteffer@redcrosstc.org).

Emergency Services Staff:

Staffing:
Megan Steffer, Staffing Coordinator
Volunteer recruitment, retention, & recognition; Development plans; DSHR
msteffer@redcrosstc.org, 612-872-3263

Preparedness:

Howard Bucknam, Preparedness Coordinator 
Training and Planning (including agreements)
hbucknam@redcrosstc.org, 612-460-3706

Response:

Ruth Talford, Local Disaster Coordinator
DAT direction, guidance, & support; Casework
rtalford@redcrosstc.org, 612-872-3211

Mike Booth, Social Services Coordinator
mbooth@redcrosstc.org, 612-872-3214 
Services to the Armed Forces & International Services guidance & support; Casework lead

Jill Hallonquist, Response Coordinator 
DAT, SAF, & IS program leadership & growth
jhallonquist@redcrosstc.org, 612-460-3679

Leadership:

Gretchen Hurr, Director of Emergency Services
ghurr@redcrosstc.org, 612-460-3699

Need Red Cross
disaster assistance?
612-871-7676