Volunteering

Want to make a difference in your local community? Learn new skills? Maybe you just want to do something interesting in your spare time, and make new friends? There are lots of different reasons why people volunteer – but they all say the same thing: it’s one of the most rewarding experiences you can have.

Surprisingly, any advanced medical and trauma skills that you have will not get as much of a workout as you might expect, especially after the first four days of response, due to the fact the folks needing that kind of help will often not survive past that time. Skills which will be in more demand include pediatrics (especially the use of oral rehydration techniques), obstetrics, splinting (and by extension, plaster casting), open wound care, field sanitation and water purification. Anyone who is interested can learn how to help with these high touch/low tech procedures through training provided by the organizations that you will be volunteering with.

Because of the need for other skills in support of the relief operations, just about anyone can be of assistance. These skills include:

• Speaking more than one language

• Being able to use radio voice or data communications

• Basic skills in carpentry, masonry, plumbing, electrical, and small engine maintenance

• The field expedient rope and timber engineering that the Scouting movement used to call "Pioneering."

• It also helps if you can teach what you know any of the skills you know.

The final training is learning to camp "rough:" hiking in at least a mile with all your gear on your back, living without running water or flush toilets, using mantle type lanterns for lighting after dark, and cooking over a portable stove for a full week. You might not have to do this when you deploy, but being physically fit enough to do this, and being comfortable with the idea that everything you personally need for a week can be carried on your back will go a long way to making you successful in an austere situation. This will also allow you to understand how you need to dress to cope with extremes of sun, heat, cold or wet conditions that you may encounter.