# Presentation: 296892

## Preparing Volunteers Through Training: The Virginia Beach Experience

**Megan M. Dalitsch, MPH**
- Program Coordinator
- Virginia Beach Medical Reserve Corps
- Megan.Dalitsch@vdh.virginia.gov

## Objectives

**VBMRC Training Plan**
**Elective Training**
**Scheduling**
**Sources**
**Volunteer Feedback**

## Why Train?

**Prepared volunteers make better volunteers**

**Notes:**
We believe that if our volunteers are better prepared for emergencies, they will be more effective volunteers.  Also, they may be more willing to leave their homes and families to respond if they have prepared their family and themselves prior to the disaster.  Much of our training focuses on what their roles will be during different disasters, but we also provide some training on how to prepare themselves and their families by creating a family disaster plan and disaster kit.

## VBMRC Training Plan

**5 Core Courses required**
**Receive official badge upon graduation**
**Elective Training**

**Notes:**
We require 5 core courses be completed prior to graduation.  At the graduation ceremony, each volunteer is presented with a certificate of completion and their official photo MRC badge, as well as a few other goodies.

We require our non-medical volunteers (Level 3) to take a CPR and First Aid class as well.

In addition to our Core Courses, we try to offer as many elective classes as possible.

## 5 Core Courses

**Orientation**
**Bioterrorism Overview**
**Disaster Preparedness**
**Introduction to the Incident Command System**
**Strategic National Stockpile Introduction**

**Notes:**
The VBMRC advisory board and I sat down and created this list of courses.  We tried to cover as many of the disaster preparedness subjects as possible without overwhelming our volunteers.
Our Advisory Board consists of VBMRC volunteers (doctors, nurses, Environmental Health, MRC Coordinator and the emergency planner from the health dept)
We do not require that these courses be completed in a certain time limit.  Most of our volunteers work full-time and need a flexible training schedule.

## Orientation

**Complete paperwork for background checks**
**Badge photo**
**History and overview of VBMRC organization**
**VBMRC policies and procedures**

**Notes:**
We are required by the City of Virginia Beach to have complete FBI background checks done on each volunteer in order for VBMRC volunteers to be covered by the City’s liability insurance and workers comp.
The presentation briefly talks about the history of the MRC, organization (ex: levels and partnerships with health dept, citizen corps, etc.) and what our policies are: wearing of polo shirts, talking to media, HIPAA, etc.
VBMRC organization: Virginia Beach has a Citizen Corps Council which works closely with the MRC.  We introduce the CERT program to the MRC volunteers during the orientation presentation.  Since the MRC will work closely with the CERT team during exercises and emergencies, we make sure that our volunteers know who they are what they are trained to do.

## VBMRC Organization

**Americorps**

**Senior Corps**

**VIPS**

**Citizen Corps**

**Peace Corps**

**Learn and**

**Serve America**

**USA Freedom Corps**

**Fire Corps**

**Notes:**
Our Citizen Corps council includes these programs.  Other organizations sit on the council: Council on Aging, Amateur radio, CERT coordinator, MRC Advisory Board member, MRC coordinator, Media and Communications, Fire Dept, Police Dept, Emergency Manager, Virginia Beach Volunteer Council.
Virginia Beach is very lucky since we have such a developed Volunteer Council.

## Bioterrorism Overview

**Presented by a VBMRC volunteer**
**Provides basic information on Category A agents**
**diagnosis**
**organism**
**symptoms**
**recognition**
**treatment**

**Notes:**
One of our VBMRC volunteers, who is also the Regional Medical Consultant for the Health Department, provides this wonderful presentation.  
This lecture describes the Cat A agents that have been identified by the CDC and provides information on how real is the threat, examples of actual bioterrorism cases, and diagnosis, symptoms, and treatment of the Cat A diseases.
We have invited our CERT team to join us for this presentation.
This photo was taken during our last BT lecture - at the Fire Training Center, which is where the CERT team does most of its training.  Dr. Love is speaking about the symptoms seen during the 2001 Anthrax outbreak.

## Disaster Preparedness

**Use the FEMA IS-22 facilitators guide**
**Offered as lecture and online**
**Overview of natural and man-made disasters**
**Provides information for protecting family and home**

**Notes:**
The Disaster Preparedness class focuses on how to prepare yourself,  your family and property for a disaster.
We use the FEMA IS-22, Are You Ready? facilitators guide and slides.  It’s a lengthy presentation, but we have pared it down and organized it so the disasters that are discussed in detail are those that pertain specifically to Virginia Beach (I.e. don’t spend a lot of time on volcanoes).
After talking about each disaster, we talk about what items should be included in a family disaster kit (flashlight, manual can opener, etc.). 
The facilitators guide is great - it provides examples of activities to do during the presentation to keep things more engaging.

## Disaster Preparedness Class

## Incident Command

**National push for ICS training**
**Volunteers will be a part of the ICS if deployed during emergency**
**Also using FEMA facilitators guide and slides from IS-100**

**Notes:**
After 9-11, there was a Presidential Directive set in place to push education and training in the ICS system (NIMS compliance).  All VBDPH employees are required to take this course, so we decided to have the MRC volunteers also take it.  In a dispensing site, hurricane shelter, or flu vax clinic, some aspects of the ICS are used.  We want to be sure that our volunteers know where they fit into this system and have a basic understanding of the structure.
The course specifically discusses major ICS functions and their primary responsibilities, ICS organizational units, span of control, major incident facilities and the function of each, what an Incident Action Plan is and how it is used, and the common responsibilities associated with incident assignments from the Federal disaster response workforce perspective.

## Strategic National Stockpile

**Taught by our Emergency Planner from the VBDPH**
**Overview of the SNS**
**Introduction to dispensing sites**
**this is where many of these volunteers will be used during disaster**
**introduction to job titles and roles**

**Notes:**
The SNS overview is taught by our Emergency planner.  This is a one hour presentation, depending on questions.  Since the MRC will be assisting with a dispensing site, this presentation focuses on a basic background of the SNS: what it is, what it contains, where it comes from, etc.  The presentation then introduces the MRC’s role in a typical dispensing site (medical advisor, screeners, registration, dispensing/vaccination, site manager). 
We also introduce the concept of Spontaneous volunteers and Just in Time training during this presentation.  Again, just to familiarize our volunteers with these terms.

## Graduation

**Volunteers graduate after completing required courses**
**Receive ID badge, MRC lanyard, and safety kit**
**Certificate of Completion**
**Means of volunteer recognition**

## Elective Training

**Maintain volunteer involvement**
**Offered periodically**
**Provide further information **
**CEUs and CMEs**
**many CDC and other satellite broadcasts offer continuing education credits**

**Notes:**
In addition to our Core Courses, we try to provide as much elective training as possible.  By providing periodic seminars, exercises, presentations, we can keep our volunteers involved.  It also helps to maintain a face-to-face contact with your volunteers.
Not only does it help me keep tabs on my volunteers, additional training also provides more information to my volunteers. 

## Elective Training

**Some examples:**
**Medical Spanish course**
**Working with Interpreters**
**Role of Public Health in radiological disaster**
**Disaster Mental Health Training**
**Shelter Operations Training**
**Disaster Health Services**

**Notes:**
Some examples of elective training we have provided to our MRC volunteers include:
Satellite broadcasts, seminars, conferences
The Disaster Health Services course is through the Red Cross - our Public Health nurses are excited to hear that the MRC is interested in this training since MRC volunteers will be available to assist in emergency shelters.

## Exercises

**Opportunity for volunteers to apply what they have learned**
**TB Screening clinics**
**Flu vaccination clinics**
**Meningitis outbreaks**
**Upcoming exercise in August**
**Full scale dispensing site with shift change**
**Just in Time Training**

**Notes:**
We are planning a dispensing site exercise in the beginning of August.  This is a great chance to apply the things the volunteers have learned.  Much of what we present will make much more sense after seeing it live.
Also a great opportunity to work with our partners like CERT.
We have had some actual events that MRC volunteers have participated in. Flu vax, TB, meningitis (2 outbreaks).

## Scheduling

**Flexible!!!**
**Elective training offered during the day**
**Core Courses offered mainly in the evenings**
**try to offer at least one per month**

**Notes:**
Many of the VBMRC volunteers work full-time, so our class and event calendar must be flexible.  Most of our elective training is offered during the day since it’s provided via satellite.  Want to try to remove as many barriers to training and involvement as possible.
So far, most of our required training has been offered during the week in the evenings.  We try to avoid Mondays and Fridays.  May start offering some of these classes during the day to fit those schedule’s who have children or who work nights.
We try to offer at least one training per month.  These rotate around so in a 5 month period, all 5 core courses are offered.  Depending on the number of volunteers waiting for an orientation, we may offer additional orientations as well.  Recently, since we are gearing up for our first graduation, we have been pushing the training and have offered 2 classes per month.

## Sources of VBMRC Training

**FEMA Independent Study website**
- http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/
**VATrain website**
- https://va.train.org
**Classroom**
**Video**
**Satellite broadcasts**
**Polycoms**

**Notes:**
VATrain offers CEUs for many of their classes.

## FEMA Contacts

**FEMA distribution warehouse**
**1-800-480-2520**
**For booklets and facilitator guides**
**FEMA Independent Study Office**
**1-800-238-3358**
**16825 South Seton Avenue, Emmittsburg, MD 21727**
**For answer sheets (bubble sheets)**

**Notes:**
If you are interested in teaching the FEMA courses that I have mentioned, here are some of the phone numbers and addresses that I have found helpful.  The people at the Independent Study office are very helpful.
IS-22 has wonderful booklets that can be shipped to you if you want to teach this material.  Also, I hand the booklets out to those who want to take the class online so they do not have to print out all 200 pages of material.
If we present the course in a classroom, we provide bubble sheets so the volunteers can still receive their certificate.  I send them in to this address to be processed.  The certificates are sent directly to the volunteer.

## Volunteer Feedback

**Volunteers are excited about training**
**Evaluation forms**
**useful tool**
**Most prefer the classroom setting**
**Good to offer different formats**
**online, classroom, video**

**Notes:**
According to verbal and written feedback, our volunteers are actually excited about the training.  
We do use evaluation forms to capture suggestions. One comment we receive often is about the food - Our volunteers like the food we provide! Also, I think this is a new subject for many of these volunteers.  That makes the learning process more enjoyable when they learn new tid-bits of information.

## Questions?

**Megan Dalitsch, MPH**
- 757-518-2776
- Megan.Dalitsch@vdh.Virginia.gov