Calaveras County, CA…Ask the average person about the American Red Cross and chances are they will mention disasters like fires and floods. But the majority of the disasters the American Red Cross here in Calaveras County responds to are single-family house fires, which affect families locally. Since last Christmas, Amador has responded 4 times; Calaveras has responded 9 times; and, Tuolumne has responded 2 times to assist families (23 adults and 12 children) that were devastated by a house fire.

At a scene, Red Cross volunteers work side-by-side with firefighters and other emergency personnel to ensure victims are given immediate relief. Immediate relief means getting them what they need most without waiting a day or more — food, lodging, clothing, medication replacement, and mental health counseling. In the days following a disaster, the Red Cross
continues to work with families while they find ways to rebuild their lives.

The Red Cross is made up from a workforce that is 96% volunteer based and is currently recruiting new members to join the Disaster Action Team (DAT) here in Amador, Calaveras & Tuolumne Counties. “Our goal is to have enough teams of volunteers to cover each County so that when a disaster strikes (large or small) the Red Cross can be ready and arrive on scene
within two hours,” said Debbie Calcote, Disaster Program Manager.

Upcoming training, both online and classroom, will train volunteers to:
• Respond to disaster calls, large and small, appropriately when on call.
• Perform disaster assessments.
• Assist in opening, operating and closing a shelter.
• Provide Red Cross services to individuals without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age or handicap.

Upon successful completion of approximately 3.5 hours of DAT training, volunteers will then be able to respond with other Red Cross Volunteers to local disasters with additional training offered all volunteers to improve those basic skills.

The American Red Cross will be hosting a general interest meeting at the San Andreas Town Hall on Friday, 14 April at 6:00PM with some light refreshments to answer any questions you may have regarding this valuable program. To attend or for more information, please contact Dennis Lewis .