Get Involved
The Point
"Neighbors helping neighbors" is necessary when it comes to preparing for, responding to, and recovering from any emergency or disaster. Get involved by helping to promote emergency preparedness in your community. Also, there are many organizations that need helping hands in order to do what they do. There are many opportunities to get involved. Find what interests you and make the connection.
Do This
Find a volunteer program that means something to you and decide to get involved.
Find preparedness information throughout Be Ready Utah's website and social media and share it with your friends and neighbors.
Participate in #PrepareAndShare - Any time is a good time to talk about emergency preparedness!
"Because regular people are the most important people every time."
Videos
Downloads
- When Disaster Strikes... HOW TO DONATE OR VOLUNTEER SUCESSFULLY!
- Resources the State can Provide
- Ways to Get Involved
- Starting a Volunteer Program
- Legal Protections for Volunteers
- Screening Adult Volunteers who work with Youth
- Liability Laws for Charitable Organizations and Volunteers
- Volunteer Liability Links
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is a program that helps train community members in basic disaster response skills. There are a lot of administrative tasks to run a CERT program, and it's volunteers like you that make it possible. Contact a CERT program near you and volunteer.
If there is no CERT program near you then contact your municipality, school, or workplace and offer your support to start one.
Fire Corps is a program where community volunteers can directly support firefighter and fire department needs. Fire Corps is run by local fire departments. They determine the tasks and support Fire Corps volunteers can provide. Contact your local fire department and ask them how you can help. If a Fire Corps does not exist near you then contact your fire department and ask them how you can help start one.
Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is a program where volunteers can directly support healthcare related activities. When doctors and nurses are overwhelmed they need helping hands like yours to support medical operations, even if you dont have medical skills. In Utah, MRC is run by the local health departments. Contact an MRC near you to see how you can get involved, or sign up at Utah Responds.
Community Animal Response Teams (CART) is a program in which volunteers can be trained and organized to help with animal issues after a disaster. Work with your local Emergency Manager and local Animal Control to see how you can get involved with or start a CART program near you.
Volunteers In Police Service (VIPS) is a program in which volunteers can directly support local police department needs. VIPS is run by local police departments. They determine the tasks and support VIPS volunteers can provide. Contact your local police department and ask them how you can help. If a VIPS does not exist near you then contact your police department and ask them how you can help start one.
Neighborhood Watch is a grassroots program in partnership with local law enforcement that trains citizens how to reduce crime in their community. Volunteer by contacting your local law enforcement agency and asking them what you can do to start or join a Neighborhood Watch group, get some training in your neighborhood, or help provide training. Crime reduction starts with you.
Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD) is a coalition of non-profit, non-government organizations that work together before, during and after disasters. VOAD's need volunteers like you to help administratively run a VOAD. Contact a VOAD near you to see how you can help, or contact a VOAD partner to get involved with that partner organization. If you represent an organization that would like to join VOAD you can contact a VOAD near you to get involved. If your area does not have a VOAD, then contact your local Emergency Manager and discover how you could start a VOAD near you.
A Private Sector Preparedness Council (PSPC) is a coalition of private sector partners, local chambers of commerce, and government leaders promoting private sector preparedness in their community. PSPC's need helping hands like yours to administrate council functions, support PSPC projects and outreach to the private sector.
SKYWARN provides weather spotter training. Weather technology still has its limitations and trained weather spotters can help provide a more accurate picture. Volunteer with the National Weather Service as a Weather Spotter.
The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) has many volunteer programs you can affiliate with like: FEMA Corps, NCCC, Americorps, VISTA, Senior Corps, RSVP, and more.
The mission of CNCS is to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering.
The Utah Commission on Service and Volunteerism (UServeUtah) is a CNCS-affiliated Utah government agency
responsible for developing, implementing, and sustaining a vision and culture of civic engagement and national and community service within the state. As such they provide many ways to get involved including: joining Americorps, Disaster Corps, episodic volunteering, and even virtual volunteering opportunities.
Stop The Bleed is a national first aid training program that you can complete and promote. You can find a class near you to take. You can also become an instructor and help teach life saving skills to others.
American Red Cross has many opportunities to get involved. Contact the Utah Chapter Red Cross office near you and discover ways to get involved.
FEMA recognizes that regular citizens can be the needed help until professional help arrives. Get involved by completing the training and helping train others how to be "the Help Until Help Arrives."
Americas PrepareAthon is all about empowering individuals to take at least one action towards preparedness. Get involved by using the tools provided to help empower others towards preparedness.
National Preparedness Month provides the opportunity to get involved by sharing emergency preparedness with those around you. Use national and state preparedness tools to help promote preparedness. Find tools on Be Ready Utah’s website.
JustServe.org provides you a way to make your service project known so others can sign up to support your efforts. Or you can go here to find service projects to participate in near you. Get involved in making your community a better place by supporting service initiatives near you or by leading service efforts. There are many preparedness service projects you could start.
Get involved with the See Something Say Something campaign. You know when something doesn’t look right or is out of place in your community. Empower those around you to know how to report suspicious activity. There are apps, podcasts and social media you can also connect with.
Access and Functional Needs populations need a voice in community preparedness. Get involved with your local Citizen Corps Council or other community preparedness coalitions by representing those with access and functional needs. This page has some tools to help you promote preparedness to our most vulnerable populations.
Get involved in Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) by getting trained and licensed to use a HAM radio, then find an ARES group near you. ARES is a private organization that is part of, and managed by, the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). When common communication systems are damaged or fail for whatever reason, HAM radio operators will be instrumental in emergency response and recovery efforts.
The mission of the Disaster Discovery Center is to connect people of all ages with empowering experiences that inspire disaster preparation through: entertainment, discovery, hands-on learning, and quality resources. The Disaster Discovery Center helps make preparedness a lifestyle to protect what we value. While the Disaster Discovery Center is still in its concept phase, there are a lot of volunteer opportunities to help bring this one-of-a-kind place to life here in the State of Utah.
Get involved by celebrating volunteers in your community during National Volunteer Week. Here you can also find volunteer opportunities near you. There is also a toolkit to help you promote National Volunteer Week.
Emergency Preparedness Promotion Tools: Get involved by using these tools to promote preparedness in your community
- General emergency preparedness educational and promotional tools are available throughout the Be Ready Utah website.
- Order or access free preparedness publications from FEMA's Individual and Community Preparedness Division (ICPD).
- Get involved on social media: follow @BeReadyUtah on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, and more.
- Disasterville Toolkit (CERT, MRC, VOAD, Health Care Coalitions, Emergency Management): There is a ready made Disasterville Toolkit in each county in the State of Utah that you can borrow and facilitate yourself, or request a facilitator to do it for you. The toolkit is also available electronically, with directions to build and use on your own. This is a fun, interactive approach to educating community leaders and public about CERT, MRC, VOAD, Health Care Coalitions, Emergency Management, or even to use as a refresher tool for CERT trained members. A general overview presentation of this tool can also be provided. The table top activity time length is about one to two hours, depending on your need and scope. It may involve as few as two people to as many as 300+ people, depending on the scope. However it typically involves between 15 and 40 participants. The presentation overview of the tool can be 15 to 45 minutes.
- Extreme Event Game: This teaches the necessity of all community partners working together to recover from disasters and emphasizes why individual preparedness is so important. This game is designed to last one hour and is for 12 to 48 adults or teens.
- Whole Community Disaster Simulation: This gives a realistic view of the various organizations disaster survivors will be interacting with and issues individuals will be faced with when trying to recover from disasters. It teaches the necessity of all community partners working together to recover from disaster and emphasizes why individual preparedness is so important. This is a fun, interactive approach to educating community leaders and public about the importance of personal preparedness, or even to use as an exercise tool for related community partners. Participant count must be between 50 and 300 people. Time required is two and a half hours.
- Neighborhood Rapid Disaster Assessment Toolkit: This toolkit provides an alternative approach to the block captain program. It provides a way to involve volunteers to gain neighborhood situational awareness after a disaster, quickly and without prior training.