A Volunteer Reception Center (VRC) is a vital part of organizing the numerous volunteers a county receives when a disaster occurs. It acts as a staging area to process and disseminate volunteers to affected disaster areas. Both spontaneous volunteers as well as pre-registered volunteers are processed through a Volunteer Reception Center. By having a Volunteer Reception Center , our county is preparing itself by establishing a staff of trained, registered and assigned volunteers who are capable, upon activation by an approved authority, of setting up, of managing, staffing and operating a facility that will mobilize and deploy volunteers in an efficient and timely manner.When a disaster occurs in a community volunteers come running to help. Sometimes hundreds or even thousands of them will arrive with the best intentions and with skills that are urgently needed but all too often these volunteers aren't associated with any recognized disaster response agency. Even volunteers that are linked to disaster response agency need to have a place to report in order to be assigned to an area that can use their particular skills. What volunteers do and how they are utilized has tremendous impact on how quickly and effectively a community recovers so efficient and organized deployment of all responding volunteers is crucial.
A Volunteer Reception Center is a vital part of the Morrow County Health Department’s emergency response plan. It acts as a staging area to process and send volunteers to assist with local public health needs. Both spontaneous and pre-registered volunteers are processed through a Volunteer Reception Center.
Volunteer Reception Center (VRC) Management Team Volunteers…
¨ Are pre-registered and pre-trained Volunteers who work in a VRC during a disaster.
¨ Use an organized process for registering and matching all volunteers with assignments.
¨ Are able to work in a crisis situation.
¨ Can work as part of a team.
¨ Serve in various roles such as greeters, runners, interviewers, phone bank operators, safety trainers, etc.
A Pre-Registered Morrow County Health Department Volunteer is…
¨ A valuable member of the Morrow County Health Department Team!
¨ Committed to sharing valuable time and skills serving our community.
¨ Already registered with contact information, skills and volunteer preferences.
¨ Ready to serve with a Volunteer ID Badge on file.
¨ May already have training and experience in disaster related services.
Pre-Registered Health Department Volunteers include …
¨ People who have made the commitment to making a positive difference in our community.
¨ Those with backgrounds in customer service, counseling, facilities management, teaching, communications, transportation, construction, law enforcement, health services or emergency services
¨ Morrow County Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) pharmacists, nurses, and physicians.
A Spontaneous Volunteer is…
¨ A person who wants to help after a disaster or crisis.
¨ An individual who is not affiliated with a disaster relief agency or trained to respond to a disaster.
¨ A potentially skilled and valuable contributor to our community’s disaster recovery effort.
Examples of Spontaneous Volunteers include…
¨ Construction workers
¨ Food service workers
¨ Counselors
¨ Truck drivers
¨ Laborers
¨ Translators
¨ Healthcare workers
Contact us at (419) 947-1545 or mchdpip@odh.ohio.gov for training or more information on how you can assist in a Volunteer Reception Center.