April 1, 2016
by Noelle Foizen, Deputy Director Public Affairs, @PhilaOEM
3 a.m. wake up calls are tough for anyone, but it takes a special person to voluntarily get out of their warm and cozy bed to help and comfort complete strangers experiencing the worst day of their lives.
That is exactly what hundreds of Philadelphia disaster volunteers from American Red Cross, Salvation Army, Second Alarmers, and Red Paw do every day.
OEM’s partners are the lifeline of emergency response, providing everything from food and clothing to shelter and comfort. Their call to service enables Philadelphia Fire and Philadelphia Police to focus efforts on the disaster at hand, knowing that impacted citizens and pets are taken care of. The assistance provided by these voluntary agencies are at no cost to citizens or to the City. They are instrumental in helping those impacted recover as quickly as possible.
April is National Volunteer Month, and every year the Office of Emergency Management highlights a disaster volunteer partner to recognize for their good work and thank them for their efforts.
Volunteerism has been on a steady decline across the country. Philadelphia ranks 29th out of 51 Metropolitan Statistical Areas for volunteerism with 26.3 percent of residents donating their time. Those statistics make it even more commendable for the time and effort put forth by the City’s disaster volunteer partners. These groups respond 24/7 during the worst weather events the City experiences and they receive little or no fanfare.
OEM is often tasked with ensuring that people and pets are accounted for during emergency responses. City agencies do not have the resources and expertise to do this work alone. We appreciate the support and assistance provided by highly trained disaster volunteer agencies.
Disaster recovery takes a village, and thankfully Philadelphia’s village is full of kind-hearted volunteers.
This April, OEM will highlight four of our disaster voluntary agencies that we work with regularly and who make a difference every day in the City of Philadelphia. Our office wants to thank them for their service, but more importantly, we have hope that more volunteers will join their ranks as we never know when the next disaster will hit.
April 3rd-9th Philadelphia Second Alarmers Association
April 10th-16th The Red Paw Emergency Relief Team
April 17th-23rd The Salvation Army Greater Philadelphia
April 24-30th American Red Cross Philadelphia