
	Search:

Guidelines: Develop Policies and Procedures for Volunteer Utilization

Emergency Operations

Develop a concept of operations (i.e., how the MRC unit will support the community’s emergency operations).
- Determine the MRC unit’s capabilities to address the community’s needs and challenges (as identified through a needs assessment and coordination with the MRC unit’s response partners).
- Determine the area your MRC unit will serve.
- Address your MRC unit’s roles, responsibilities, and capabilities in the community’s emergency operations plan (EOP) (and other local emergency plans, as appropriate) and coordinate them with your response partners.
- Ensure the MRC unit uses ICS and your volunteers are familiar with NIMS. Ensure your MRC volunteers are familiar with the community’s EOP and the MRC unit’s role and responsibilities under this plan (this should be addressed in an orientation course for new volunteers; see Develop a Volunteer Training Program).
Develop activation and deactivation procedures, and determine who (or which organizations) may request activation of the MRC unit.
Develop policies and procedures associated with out-of-area volunteer deployments. Although the MRC is intended to serve the local community’s needs, at times, MRC volunteers are given the opportunity to serve other communities in their state or in another. Before considering any opportunity to deploy your volunteers outside the local area, consider the following:
- Mission—Is there a specific identified need that MRC volunteers can meet appropriately?
- Licensure—Will the volunteers’ licenses be recognized in another state?
- Liability—Are the volunteers protected from liability for unintended harm?
- Worker’s compensation—How will volunteers be compensated if they are injured during deployment?
- Health and well-being—How are the volunteers’ physical and emotional health protected?
- Food, lodging, supplies, transportation and security—What will be provided for the volunteers and what will they need to provide for themselves?
See the Technical Assistance Series publication Establishing and Maintaining your MRC Unit’s Organization for more information on mechanisms for out-of-state deployment. Deployment of MRC volunteers depends on the missions required to meet the needs of the affected area. Depending on what resources are available in the affected area, there may not be many missions that require volunteer staffing. There are several existing mechanisms for out-of-state deployment of MRC volunteers.
Ensure emergency operations policies and procedures are detailed in the MRC unit’s handbook, manual, operations plan, etc. (see Develop Policies and Procedures for Unit Administration).
Develop and implement procedures for conducting after-action reviews of MRC unit emergency operations.
- Conduct after-action reviews in-house and with your community response partners.
- Document and review recommendations, lessons learned, and corrective actions from these after-action reviews to improve emergency operations.
Ensure MRC volunteers have access to mental health counseling during and/or following emergency operations, if necessary. Examples of these types of counseling include psychological first aid, grief counseling, post-traumatic stress counseling, etc.

Spontaneous, Unaffiliated Volunteers

Incorporate plans and procedures for managing spontaneous, unaffiliated volunteers. Such plans are critical to prevent spontaneous volunteers from interfering with the response. Spontaneous, unaffiliated volunteers are individuals unaffiliated with any volunteer agency.
Issue a press release early in emergency response operations indicating if spontaneous, unaffiliated volunteers should report, and if so, where. If these volunteers are not being utilized, the press release should indicate what the citizens can do to help (e.g., donations, etc.).
Ensure the MRC unit’s plans and procedures for processing and using spontaneous, unaffiliated volunteers are coordinated with community organizations (particularly if a Volunteer Reception Center will be established in the community during a large-scale emergency or disaster).

Non-emergency Engagements

Determine how your MRC unit can support the community’s ongoing public health and medical needs (e.g., public education, health screenings, etc.).
- Consult local hospitals, public health agencies, other healthcare institutions and NGOs for ways in which your MRC unit can provide assistance to the community’s ongoing public health and medical efforts.
Ensure MRC volunteers’ participation in these efforts is properly documented and recognized.

Previous | Table of Contents | Next

Last Updated on 8/29/2006