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How to Get a Job in Disaster Relief

When choosing a career path, we think about financial security and paying the bills. We might also consider where on earth the path will take us—where do we want to live? Deep in the heart, nevertheless, is the yearning to do something significant, something that makes a difference. We want respect for what we do and we want to know we have helped people.

Few vocations can meet this mark like disaster relief. Risk, adventure, appreciation and emotional satisfaction come with the job. Witnessing pain, fear and grief do, likewise. For the stout-hearted, there are steps ready to take.

Determine Your Specialty

CDC Emergency Management Specialists
CDC’s Emergency Management Specialists (Image Source: CDC.gov)

If you wonder how to get a job in disaster relief, first remember that this is a wide-ranging field, employing a diversity of professionals. Furthermore, employers range from the federal government to local agencies to private organizations. An interested inquirer must decide the capacity in which he or she will serve. There are positions requiring the coordination of services; the relay of information at call centers; the management of logistics; and the basic provision of food and blankets, for example.

It is plain to see that each of these roles calls for differing levels of education, as well as diverse temperaments. A thorough self-evaluation is in order to find the proper fit, and then proceed accordingly. Although the U.S. Department of Labor recognizes the occupation of “emergency management specialist,” it provides little definition beyond salary.

Determine Your Geographic Scope

As noted, emergency response officials can be national (even international) agents or hometown regulars. A Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) manager might continuously traverse the United States wherever flood, fire, hurricane of avalanche dictate. A local Red Cross coordinator, on the other hand, may occupy the same 10 mile radius for an entire career. This fact goes to lifestyle: if home and family are high priorities, your path best take a local route.

Geography serves to influence in another way. Those seeking exploits and new experiences are much more apt to choose a larger territory over city and region. How to get a job in disaster relief means asking yourself about your passions and motivations. The answer will help to decide on where and how far you are willing to go.

Research, Research, Research

Getting trained on how to install smoke alarms in District Heights
Image Source: RedCrossChat.org

With these answers in hand, aspiring disaster relief workers can now apply their aspirations to the problem of how to get a job in disaster relief. This requires knowledge. For a start, the FEMA careers web page provides numerous job listings, though some are in the political/administrative realm. Significantly, there are tasks found here that lend themselves to students or those simply wanting experience on a part-time basis. Work of this kind helps to confirm a career decision for emergency management.

Other federal agencies, like Housing and Urban Development, operate their own disaster response teams. Closer to home, states like New Jersey field catastrophic first response agencies, as well. Even large cities like Los Angeles must have an office handling crisis mitigation. Passionate individuals learning how to get a job in disaster relief do well not to neglect private charities. The International Committee for the Red Cross hires healthcare professionals, information technology specialists, linguists and interpreters, environmental scientists and forensic analysts for its mobile and resident field staffs.

Education and Training

Knowing the particulars of disaster relief opportunities enables potential workers to zero in on the training they will need to qualify for such employment. Certain jobs—physicians and nurses, e.g.—are easy to figure out. What about logistics? It sounds too broad to map out an educational route. Actually, though this field exists over a wide array of industries and endeavors, there are specific skill sets that make for good logisticians. Business and engineering programs help hone such talents. Others develop the same strengths serving in the armed forces.

While few, if any, majors in disaster relief are available, several institutions offer certificates in the subject. Many of these, as with the University of Massachusetts at Boston, are awarded in cooperation with FEMA. Especially convenient, some of this coursework is offered in online formats.

Getting Your Feet Wet…Blistered or Burned

Theoretical knowledge is an important component of training. Still, work experience is an invaluable factor in how to get a job in disaster relief. Working part-time for an emergency response organization yields greater comprehension about the sometimes unpleasant realities of catastrophic occurrences, be they hurricanes, tornadoes or explosions. Students should seek internships for credit (and sometimes for modest stipends). In addition to FEMA, the Red Cross and local outreaches, groups like Mercy Corps offer an assortment of summer and academic term internships.

Employers look favorably upon such experience because they know the candidate is disabused of idealized notions about emergency response. A seasoned applicant has suffered the boredom and frustration of red tape; knows the physical discomfort and emotional anguish involves. This is the kind of staffer who will stick around when the glory fades.

Flexibility Matters

Granted, a narrow focus is often cited as a key to success. However, breaking into a field is different from rising to the top. In other words, aspirants should not be too particular when asking how to get a job in disaster relief. A newly-minted hydroelectric engineer, finding no immediate openings in that profession, should consider doing a stint as a general laborer. With patience the job of choice will find you, if you are sincerely committed to the mission.

Summing Up

Pursuing work in disaster relief is a sign of diligence, compassion and idealism. Important to remember is that the jobs are plentiful, but not always attainable. Applicants with clear ideas about where they can fit in the emergency response vocational spectrum give themselves a leg up in the process.

At the same time, willingness to compromise on specific assignments makes candidates more marketable and hiring more probable. Ultimately, a systematic strategy of long-term focus and immediate adaptability wins out.

How to Help Someone With PTSD after a Natural Disaster

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious emotional and mental issue that can significantly impair a person’s ability to function in daily life. It often results in symptoms that occur after a natural disaster has been experienced. With the number of hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, tornados, typhoons, and tsunamis that have occurred over the past few years, it should not be a surprise that the number of people experiencing symptoms of PTSD has increased dramatically. For loved ones and friends of those that have experienced a natural disaster, understanding the signs and symptoms and trying a few ideas focused on how to help someone with PTSD can help alleviate your anxiety as well.

distressed woman sitting at table covering her face

Signs and Symptoms of PTSD

The signs and symptoms of those experiencing a traumatic event will be much like the stages of grief.

  • Intense emotional distress – resulting in difficulty concentrating, outbursts of anger, panic attacks, and difficulty sleeping.
  • The avoidance stage – where feelings of detachment, apathy, and hopelessness may take over.
  • Flashbacks – may result in physical reactions when a person is reminded of the traumatic event. They may also have recurrent nightmares and even daytime flashbacks.
  • Severe cases – will include paranoia, agitation, palpitations and even a loss of memory.
  • How to Help Someone With PTSD

While the symptoms of PTSD are similar in most cases, the severity is very individualized. Here are some ideas recommended by authorities when you’re trying to figure out how to help someone with PTSD.

1. Listen

When it comes to how to help someone with PTSD, one of the best ways is to be a good listener. Although human nature demands that advice be given in almost any situation, resist the urge. Be available, be empathetic, be sympathetic but don’t be pushy. A person with PTSD will talk when they’re ready. When they are ready to talk just remember that discussing the traumatic incident in their own way is an important part of the healing process. Don’t tell them to get over it or that everything will be okay. Most importantly, don’t remind them that it could have been worse. Instead, listen without disapproval, judgment or unsolicited advice.

2. Create a Sense of Safety

One of the symptoms of PTSD is a sense of paranoia. The world feels like it is an extremely dangerous place that is out to get them. Therefore, when learning how to help someone with PTSD it’s important to find ways to rebuild their sense of security. That can be accomplished by providing structure, dependability and predictability in a safe environment. You need to share your commitment to see the process through and reinforce the concept that your relationship and trustworthiness will be consistent.

3. Provide Social Support

When someone suffers from PTSD after a natural disaster it’s not uncommon for them to begin withdrawing even from family and friends. They often believe that others won’t understand, may pity them, may think they’re crazy and may even begin to be judgmental as they fail to recover at an expected rate. Personally, they may begin to feel ashamed or fear they’ll lose control. They may also not want to become a burden to those they love. It’s important to remember that too much isolation can be extremely detrimental to recovery. Therefore, it’s important to stay close while expressing love but begin to get them out a little at a time increasing the time away from home and intensity of destinations each time. Begin with a drive around the block in order to build up to a visit to the mall at Christmas.

4. Anticipate Triggers

PTSD is an emotional state that is just as hard for the patient to understand as it is for those around them. It’s not uncommon for people places and things to serve as triggers that revive the trauma and cause all the feelings to resurface from time to time. Although some triggers appear logical, others seem to have no relationship to the trauma at all. Crowds, physical restraints, confined spaces, funeral homes and hospitals often emit sounds, smells, or sensations that can be associated with acts that caused the trauma in the first place. Even dates and locations can cause a negative reaction. Avoiding triggers is a key to recovery. Eventually, with help, the brain will recover and the triggers will lessen.

5. Remain Calm

Individuals diagnosed with PTSD will be in a constant state of turmoil. Physical stressors can lead to overreactions and emotional outbursts that may appear unreasonable. Some use anger as a self-defense mechanism to mask fears, vulnerability and sadness while others will suppress their anger because they fear what they may do only to erupt later when they reach their breaking point. How you can help someone with PTSD the best is to try to diffuse the situation by remaining calm and reminding them that they’re safe.

You don’t want them to feel physically threatened so give them the space they need but always put your own safety first along with those around you. Minimizing input helps so turn off the TV, try to get them to go into the bathroom and turn off the lights and remind them to breathe slowly. If necessary, physically remove yourself and others from the situation to allow time for the person with PTSD to deescalate.

6. Take Care of Yourself

PTSD affects not only the individual afflicted but all those around them. It can be emotionally draining because the outcome of the condition is unpredictable. Each person is different and handles the condition differently and there is no manually explaining how to help someone with PTSD. Caregivers can end up becoming traumatized themselves if they don’t take care of themselves. Therefore, take time for yourself. Step away from the situation for a day, weekend or week and defuse. Then, when you go back remind yourself to take a deep breath and know that the condition does get better with proper treatment and time.

7. Make a Plan

Those with PTSD will suffer from nightmares, panic attacks, flashbacks and eruptions. It is just part of the condition. It’s important you and the individual work together to map out what will help the situation seem less scary not only for both of you but also for those around you. If children are in the home it’s important to include them in the discussion as well. They need to know that the symptoms of PTSD are not their fault and has nothing to do with their behavior. Discuss what’s worked previously and what’s only made the situation worse.

Discuss the fact that during an episode the person with PTSD will disassociate and that everyone’s job is to get them grounded as quickly as possible. Tell the sufferer that they’re having an episode and that they’re safe, remind them of where they are, encourage them to breathe deeply and always ask before you touch them. Be sure the children have a safe place to go, as well, when an episode starts.

8. Get Professional Help

The only way to truly and permanently get over PTSD is with professional help. It can often be a “hard-sell” to the person suffering from the condition but it’s an important step to recovery. Make sure you time the discussion during a non-episodic period and remind them that if they find it unhelpful, they can cease treatment at any time. Once you get their foot in the door then it’s up to the doctor to convince them to keep coming.

flooded area after a hurricane

Summing Up

Just like it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a village to learn how to help someone with PTSD and to help them during their recovery. You don’t have to do this alone so don’t be afraid to build your own support system who can help take on some of the responsibilities of caring for your loved one. You need to be aware of your personal limits, take time to take care of yourself and remind yourself that with the right treatment and support PTSD is curable. Finally, this is no time to “fly by the seat of your pants” so make a plan. You know what to expect so now you need to figure out how to deal with it.

Disaster Relief In Houston – Urgent Info

There are the following Houston area.. Restaurants, Medical, Plumbing, Volunteering etc., providing flood relief:

Please find the consolidated list of different Business organization/Community Leaders supporting the Houston area community in the need.
1. Curry House in Cypress providing free food for 50 to 100 ppl in a short notice and more as needed if anyone wants to come and pickup @The curry house 10728 cypresscreek pkwy 77070 contact 713 725 9805
2. If anyone needs help evacuating pls update this group or call universal volunteers group on any of these phone #s Prasad 281-685-8016,Arvind – 650-619-7563, Vasu- 281-253-0085, Sankar- 832-276-9175, Kb-518-505-8484
3. Biryani Express in Pearland can give food packets- Nishanth +1 (281) 707-9574
4. Mattress Mac of Gallery Furniture announced he is opening his I45 store and Grand Parkway store for folks to come stay if needed. Including their pets! Such a nice gesture to make a difference while Houston is in need.
5. Deep Foods is providing free gift hampers (Juices, Cookies and Diyas/Candles) at Biryani Pot Katy location or at Swagath Groceries, Katy after 3 pm on 8/27. Thanks to Umang Mehta.
6. Folks – please feel free to reach out Dr Minni Malhotra for free medical consultation at 606-854-2551.
7. Hyderabad restaurant in woodlands is providing free food for those affected by this storm. Please spread this word so people will be benefited. First come First served basis. [email protected]+1 (361) 815-0166 Chandramouli
7. Masala Radio is on and broadcasting live. They will be announcing all this helpful information for anyone in need. Thx to everyone who is providing food, shelter information, and necessary contacts. They have a hummer that can travel in 3-foot of water. If anyone needs help to evacuate and you can’t get out because of high water, please let them know. This will probably be the best use of the Masala Hummrr yet. Please txt me. Me and some of my masala crew are ready to come. Contact Sunil Thakkar 2812776874 or text 7135451595
8. Universal Bakery and Biryani, Katy proving accommodation and food in their party hall for the community members impacted by the storm in Katy. Please don’t abuse it. Address: 27131 Cinco Ranch Blvd Ste:900, Katy, TX 77494. Contact Surya Anakala @ 732 447 5886 for more details.
9. Does anyone need, dry food, cooked meal  ? lunch or dinner for day or two , milk  ? or water? we will try our best to deliver for free. Pls call or text Dinesh Purohit 732 593 9650, from Cafe India & Bollywood Chowpaty Chaat, Sugar Land.
10. Biryani Pot Katy location is offering free food for those in need around Katy/Fulshear/Richmond/Rosenberg area, please call Vijay +1 (610) 714-2123restaurant is open all day…please pass on this message to friends and neighbors.
10. Surya Raguthu garu & Manjula Raguthu garu from Ace Pain Management offering free medical consultations. Please call for any medical help Dr Manjula Raguthu 956-639-8699, Medwin family medicine, Dr. Surya Raguthu 956-639-8666
11. Meridian Springs Primary Care is offering free e-consults thru video chats or phone calls to people who are in need of it. Contact number 281-826-1359. Thank you Dr. Bhavana Rao Sunil Gopalkrishna
12. This is Narender, Raghveer and Shreedhar from Houston and Sugar Land Area.We want to help to serve the Food up to 1000 people, who are in Shelters, please let us know Address of the shelters and contact person information to deliver and any officer is welcome to contact us or pick up the food.Narender, Raghveer and Shreedhar, 979-481-9999, 832-798-0394 and 832-728-2873
13. Biryani Pot Restaurant on [email protected] location is serving hot packed meals for those who are in real need especially in the surrounding area. Please contact Ravi at 614-558-7597 or Sreedhar at 832-727-5620, Heartfelt thanks to Biryani Pot!
14. Bawarchi Houston will be extending their help for the families who are going thru a hard time due to the Hurricane Harvey. KINDLY CONTACT THEM FOR FREE LUNCH N DINNER. Thanks for their help to Indian community  ?CONTACT – Naveen at 973-393-7117
16. Vishala Restaurant is providing free lunch and dinner for those who don’t have electricity or gas. They want to help families as much as possible during this hard time for next few days until storm impact is gone. If needed they are willing door deliver if it is needed.Communities from Alaina till Riverstone, they could make use of it. Please call Manoj Paladugu @ +1 (248) 778-8855 to provide a head count. Please give them heads up as they do this as free service. Thanks  ?? to Vishala Restaurant
17. Hyderabad House Katy will be providing free lunch, snacks & dinner boxes from today afternoon to Hurricane/Tornado impacted families and will continue for next couple of days as part of community service. Please contact Sudheer @ 713.714.7124 Note: Katy location will be closed every Monday, but will be OPEN on 08/28 to assist Hurricane/Tornado impacted families.
18. Anyone who needs help in electronic, plumbing or HVAC. We will help for free. Sanjay Gupta- 2818575474
Thanks for the help to our community  ?

National Flood Insurance Program – How to Be Eligible

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) was established in 1968 to enable property owners to purchase flood insurances as protection against losses due to floods. Sadly, floods are the most common natural disaster in the United States. It is also the costlier. Fortunately, certain communities are eligible for participating in the NFIP. We will discuss the requirements for joining the program to find out if you are eligible for it.

National Flood Insurance Program - How to Be Eligible

Eligibility for the National Flood Insurance Program

To participate in this program, a community must adopt and enforce the regulations that meet the requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program. The requirements are intended to reduce the members of the community’s costs for flood relief and to prevent any loss of life or property. Nationwide, over 20,000 communities have joined the National Flood Insurance Program.

The flood hazard map provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) must be studied carefully by the community. It has to determine whether the insurance and the floodplain management are beneficial to the citizens of the community.

An important matter that some property owners may not be aware of is the fact that homeowners insurance policies do not usually cover flood losses. Furthermore, many property owners are not aware that their residing area is flood-prone. Any community can join the National Flood Insurance Program, regardless of the fact that it may not be flood-prone. Citizens participating in this program will then be able to purchase the flood insurance.

What Are the Requirements for Joining NFIP?

Citizens living in high-risk areas that have a mortgage from a federally regulated lender are obliged to purchase a flood insurance. Furthermore, they must carry it for the life of the mortgage. Other citizens with a mortgage but living in outside a high-risk area, can also purchase the flood insurance. They may also qualify for Preferred Risk Policies.

The minimum management requirements that communities must adopt in order to join the National Flood Insurance Program are located in the Title 44 of the Code of Federal Regulations, section 60.3. Each of the requirements depends on the type of hazard data that FEMA provides the community with.

However, meeting the requirements is not enough. The floodplain management regulations of a community must also be legally enforceable. State authority for floodplain management differs from State to State. It is quite possible for your State to require superior regulations than the minimum requirements of the NFIP.

Certain States require that the communities who wish to join NFIP must submit the floodplain management regulations for approval to the State. The State NFIP Coordinating Agency can offer assistance to any community who wishes to find out the State’s requirements.

Contact the Federal Emergency Management Agency Regional Office or the National Flood Insurance Program State Coordinating Agency for more information. They can provide you with the model floodplain management ordinance and all the guidance needed to meet the required conditions.

flood damage in new york

What Types of Regulations Are There?

The floodplain management regulations for communities are generally zoning ordinances, subdivision ordinance, building codes, sanitary regulations, and “stand alone” ordinances.

The approach of each community depends on the State laws and how they choose to manage their flood hazards.

What Is the Waiting Period?

Generally speaking, a policy will only take effect after 30 days from the purchasing of the flood insurance. However, if a citizen purchases the policy in connection with a mortgage, the waiting period does not apply.

 Do I Need the Flood Insurance?

Yes. Even if you live in a low-to-moderate flood risk area, it is advisable you purchase the flood insurance. All areas are susceptible to some degree of flooding. As a matter of fact, communities living outside the high-risk areas make for approximately 25 percent of the NFIP’s claims.

Property owners should ask their agents if they qualify for the Preferred Risk Policy. This provides low-priced flood insurance protection. It can even go as low as $112 a year.

louisiana flood

How Do I File a Claim?

Filing a claim is a three-step process:

  1. Notify the insurer. Contact your agent or the insurance company to start filing the claim. An adjuster should usually contact you after a couple of days since filing your claim. If this does not happen, then contact your insurer again.
  2. Document the damage. You will need evidence of the damage (both to your home and possessions) to prepare the repair estimate. Consequently, you must take photos of any damage. This includes anything from discarded objects to structural damage. You should also make a list of both lost and damaged objects. Include their value, date of purchase, and receipts.
  3. Complete the Proof of Loss. The Proof of Loss is a sworn statement made by the insured regarding the amount that they claim. Your adjuster will help you prepare this statement. You must file the Proof of Loss with your insurer within 60 days from the disaster.

What Happens If I Do Not Join NFIP?

Non-participating communities that are not flood-prone are not a subject to any sanction. However, if a community that has been identified as flood-prone does not qualify for the NFIP within a year, the following sanctions apply:

  • Property owners will no longer be eligible to purchase the NFIP flood insurance policy.
  • Federal grants or loans for development will no longer be available in identified flood hazard areas.
  • Federal disaster assistance will not be provided.
  • Federally insured and regulated lending institutions will not be allowed to make loans for insurable buildings.
  • Federal mortgage insurance and loan guarantees will not be provided.

While the participation in this program is voluntary, it is important you join NFIP. An important benefit of participation is that you and other members of the community are provided with the opportunity protect yourselves from flood losses. Another important aspect is the fact that certain communities may be sanctioned if they do not qualify for the program. Which is highly detrimental considering that Federal agencies will no longer provide financial assistance for citizens in specific flood hazard areas. Now that you know the benefits and the consequences of not joining NFIP, make the right decision for your wellbeing.

IMAGE SOURCE: 1, 2, 3

How to Organize a Community Emergency Response Team for Disasters

In this post we will detail the basics of how an emergency response team (ERT) functions, the components of such a team and how you can organize one in your community as a prevention and preparedness technique. In case of emergencies of any kind, putting together a response team as fast as possible is crucial to the community’s ability of moving past the crisis. There are, on one hand, professional disaster management services which specialize in providing urgent intervention and relief to the affected communities. Such services are usually summoned in case of large scale accidents, earthquakes, tornados, floods and other natural disasters, or in case of artificial or man-made disasters such as bombings, attacks and other disruptive events.

Emergency Response Team

On the other hand, there are the less official intervention agents coming from one of the multiple non-governmental organizations specializing in humanitarian relief actions, charity work and so on. Disaster management and emergency management are one of the most important areas of work for such NGOs, and therefore many of these organizations have an emergency response team on standby and ready to be sent on the field. The active focus of each may differ according to the organization’s main field of activity, of course, and many times the services of several emergency response teams are necessary for a crisis to be successfully handled.

For example, there can be an emergency response team responsible with psychiatric intervention, or a correctional emergency response team (in league with the police or local sheriff department) when the threat currently handled is coming from a human attack, or a team comprised of computer security experts when dealing with a cyber-attack or cyber-threat, etc. Most emergency response teams must involve (at least partially) members which work within official state infrastructure services (police staff, hospital staff, a corrections officer). In case of a major national threat, the dispatched emergency response team even involves some members of the secret service, in coordination with the civilian teams.

To keep a long story short, the exact duties and responsibilities (and, hence, the exact componence) of an emergency response team depends on the type of threat or disaster being handled. The only thing which remains the same is the unwritten rule that no matter what the threat handled is, the official intervention teams stand a much better chance of averting further threat if they benefit from the help and involvement of local citizens. Therefore, one of the best things you can do for the safety and well-being of your town or neighbourhood is to be ready of putting together a local citizen emergency response team.

Emergency Response Team

How a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Should Look Like

First of all, check with your local office for emergency response and see what forms of emergency response are already put in place and how you can get involved. As far as we know, local emergency management, even of coordinated by official infrastructure services (police and hospital staff and so on), could always use more volunteers. You can inquire about what roles are currently most needed and see if you already have the required skills, or, if not, if you can obtain those skills through a training session. Most local authorities organize such seminars and workshops for training citizens to fulfil a particular role in order to be able to assist within an emergency response team. If you check out the available seminars, you may end up with an extra skill set or two in the end.

But in order to organize your own emergency response team for your local area (a suburban neighborhood, or for your campus, etc.), you need to consider these particular steps. Such a team, comprised from citizens who usually hold unrelated jobs and take on their emergency roles only when the need arises, is usually called an incident response team. Here are the requirements (laid out as steps) for it:

  • Write down the layout of a basic emergency response team. You will need your team to contain the following: at least 3 certified medical volunteers (able to perform emergency help until the actual medical teams arrive), 1 or 2 organizing members (the unified command system), 1 person specialized in recruiting (for enlisting more ad hoc volunteers), and 1 person in charge of the supplies and their distribution.
  • After you put together a chart with these required roles and make sure there are people to fill them out, you can start thinking further. You will need some emergency supplies (blankets, non-perishable food enough to feed a few dozen people, 10-20 first aid kits etc.) and a main storage space, which will also serve as your organizing center.
  • If you have new volunteers joining your emergency response team in addition to the basic members (outlined above), you should ask them to obtain a certification in an extra area of intervention (volunteer firefighting, nursing, management of hazardous substances, hostage situation management and so on). The more different roles are fulfilled by your team, the better prepared you will be to tackle on whatever may come your way.
  • Last, but not least, you should also create a protocol for each major type of emergency situation, so that your team members know exactly what to do and how to proceed with their tasks, even when central organization may not be available (due to phone lines being off and so on).

Emergency Response Team

Emergency Response Team Training and Jobs

Since we mentioned above the necessity for your team to obtain certifications in various intervention areas, let’s take a brief look at what these main intervention areas are and how you can obtain some further training (and maybe even a job in the field).

First of all, you need to know that while you may find a company which offers emergency management training, the best such trainings are still offered by state infrastructure services. In order to make sure a certain certificate is indeed officially recognized by national or local authorities, you need to make sure the workshop or course offered bears the official logo of a state service. Of course, one of the best sources of training for members of a CERT (community emergency response team) is the government’s own special programs. You can find more about each branch of governmental training for CERTs by visiting their main portal here.

Second of all, don’t forget that once you become certified in the field and gain some experience in organizing a community emergency response team, you can start considering an actual job in emergency management. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t get paid for your expertise, especially if your activity becomes a full-time involvement. You can look up opportunities for an emergency response team coordinator here, or for more general members of such a team here. Of course, these are just starting points: there are plenty of other portals which host employment opportunities for emergency response team specialists. To look for more, simply browse regular job engines, in a similar way as you would start your searches if this was any other job. Local teams who are just starting their activity could benefit from your experience, so maybe the greater good would be to spread your knowledge.

Image sources: 1, 2, 3.

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10 Tips for Living Through Power Outages

Most of us don’t think of power outages until we’re searching for flashlights or candles in the dark. Some think the light on their cellphone will be good enough to make it through power outages. That might work if power outages happen only when your phone is already fully charged. But, what about being prepared […]

How To Tell If A Snake Is Poisonous: Your Ultimate Guide

image source: Pixabay Have you ever been startled by a snake in your yard? Snakes are among the most misunderstood and feared animals on the planet, mainly because of the poisonous and potentially deadly bite a snake can inflict on its target. The truth, however, is that most snakes in the United States are non-venomous and […]

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poisonous snake lying on the rock