How to Volunteer

Major disasters can overwhelm first responder agencies. Steele County, however, is fortunate to have individuals come together with courage, compassion and unity. Steele County residents always step forward asking “How can I help?”

When a disaster strikes, volunteers play a critical role in the Response and Recovery phases. To be effective during an event, volunteers need to be knowledgeable of the needs and have the training to support the response. Providing training during an event diverts resources that could be used in another way.  The best way to help AFTER a disaster occurs is to become involved BEFORE a disaster occurs.

Steele County Emergency Management and Volunteer Organizations provide opportunities to learn new skills. These are the skills needed to assist when an event occurs. Volunteers may be called on for:

  • Assisting with the aftermath of a weather related disaster, such as flooding.
  • Provide food, shelter, and comfort for individuals and families.
  • Monitoring of severe weather (spotting).
  • Support community events, such as parades and festivals.
  • Search and Rescue.
  • Emergency communication.
  • Continuing Preparedness and Mitigation phases.

Still interested? Contact Steele County Emergency Management or a Volunteer Organization directly to learn more about opportunities for you to help. Your involvement today provides:

  • Learning or advancing skills through training and practice exercises.
  • Involvement with the emergency planning process.
  • Connection and collaboration with others.

Some of the Volunteer Organizations Associated with Steele County Emergency Management include:

  • Community Awareness and Emergency Response (CAER)
  • Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
  • SKYWARN (Storm Spotters)
  • RACES (Amateur Radio)
  • American Red Cross
  • Salvation Army
  • Civil Air Patrol

Volunteers active in one of the volunteer organizations should register. Registration involves providing personal information, emergency contact information, and signing a waiver. Minors also need to have permission from a parent/guardian. Completed documents are submitted to the leader for the organization you are participating in.

Electronic copies of the required documents are:

Additional Training Documents:

Updated 09-Sep-2019