Connecticut State Department of Public Health

 
Hurricane Katrina and the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001 caused many Americans to wonder how they can help prepare their communities.
 
Volunteers can help communities build capacity to be prepared for a disaster or emergency. With proper training and education, civilian volunteers expand the resources available to states and local communities. Many partner organizations offer public education, outreach and training for free.
 
The following links provide information on volunteer organizations and opportunities:
  
 
Volunteer for the Red Cross. You'll make a difference in the lives of others, but you'll be amazed at the difference it makes in yours.
 
 
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations.
 
The Connecticut Medical Reserve Corps are teams of local volunteer medical and public health professionals who can contribute their skills and expertise throughout the year and during times of community need.
 
Connecticut Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (Connecticut VOAD) is a humanitarian association of independent voluntary organizations who may be active in all phases of disaster.  Its mission is to foster efficient, streamlined service delivery to people affected by disaster, while eliminating unnecessary duplication of effort, through cooperation in the four phases of disaster: preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation.
 

Radiation Professional Volunteer Program

The Connecticut Radiation Professional Volunteer Program (CT-RPVP) brings together a group of radiation professional volunteers from across the state. The group is specially trained to assist local communities and the state to conduct population monitoring in response to a large scale radiological incident. The CT-RPVP is a partner program of the Connecticut Emergency Credentialing Program (ECP) for Healthcare Professionals.

The first step towards becoming an RPV, is to take this online course (http://www.ct-rpvp.org/). After completing the course, DPH invites registered volunteers to hands-on RPVP courses hosted throughout the year.

 

For more information about volunteering to support public health preparedness, please contact the DPH Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response at (860) 509-8282.