Strike Team volunteers sought for training at fire evacuation center

It’s “fire season” and the Petaluma People Services Center is preparing by recruiting available people from the community to help in the event of a fire disaster.

“We are looking for volunteers to join our response team,” said Elece Hempel, executive director of the PPSC, in a press release issued this week. “These volunteers will be the first people we call in the event of a disaster, and they will staff the shelters for the first 24 hours of an event.”

To be qualified for this role, volunteers must be completely and truly flexible with their availability at all times, as they could be called at 2 a.m. to immediately assist at an animal shelter or perform another essential task. All volunteers must attend PPSC Strike Team Volunteer training, which will be held on July 27th from 10 a.m. to noon at the Petaluma Fairgrounds.

“In addition, we would like to have a list of volunteers ready who can help staff the evacuation centers if needed,” Hempel said.

Even if the description “emergency response team” does not apply to you, there are many other ways to volunteer in an emergency.

“As we know from past events, we need many, many volunteers to support Petaluma’s emergency shelters,” Hempel said, adding, “Let’s hope we don’t have to activate our shelters this year. Thank you in advance for your help so we can all be prepared for the next disaster.”

Volunteers are asked to complete a 2024 Disaster Responder Application Form to be included in the emergency responder system for this fire season. For a link to the form or more information, visit PetalumaPeople.org or call (707) 765-8488.