Volunteer

It is estimated, by the National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS), that there are over 15.2 million non-profit organizations in the United States of which only about 19,000 are animal related in some way,  200 in Kansas.  With so many opportunities to volunteer, the Kansas State Animal Response Team is thrilled that you are visiting our web site!

Volunteers are needed, people like you, who care about pets and their community.  There are two paths available for volunteers.  The Disaster Responder path, trains and prepares volunteers to deploy in a disaster.  The Community Volunteer path, provides an avenue for volunteers with the desire to participate without deployment.  It is possible to pursue both paths as a volunteer.  

You may complete an on-line volunteer application for your county team and if your county does not have a team, complete the application for your regional team.  See the volunteer opportunity section for an application and to see the job assignments that are available for volunteers.  

A community volunteer is active within the local community and does not respond to a disaster.  This type of volunteer is important to the continued growth and development of the organization through public education, advocating for personal and pet preparedness and promoting community awareness.

A disaster responder is trained, credentialed and prepared to respond in a disaster situation, when and only when contacted through the proper notification process.  A disaster responder does NOT respond to a disaster unless asked to do so.   Detailed job descriptions for assigned roles in a disaster are available and include training requirements for those various roles.  As a Disaster Responder volunteer, you are not expected to deploy to every disaster.

There are specific core requirements for ALL disaster responder volunteers.  Some courses can be taken on-line, others are offered through your county or regional animal response team.  Three of these courses must be renewed every two years;  Pet First Aid, Human First Aid and Psychological First Aid, as of April 1, 2013.  The current core requirements include:

• FEMA IS 100: Intro to Incident Command System (web base)
• FEMA IS 200: ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents (web based)
• FEMA IS700:  Introduction to NIMS (web based)
• Animal First Aid (American Red Cross or equivalent course)
• Human First Aid, CPR is recommended (American Red Cross or equivalent course)
• Psychological First Aid (web based) OR American Red Cross or equivalent course
• New York Consoritum for Emergency Preparedness - County Animal Response Teams (web based)
• Go-bag for animal response team deployment

Once these core requirements are met and verified, you will receive your disaster responder badge.  Badges are created by county emergency managers in conjunction with your CART leader or regional coordinator.

To learn more about volunteer options or to complete a volunteer application, go to Volunteer Opportunities.