Disaster Services
Become A Member of the Disaster Action Team
Disasters may occur at any time or place. For this reason, the American Red Cross provides emergency relief services to individuals and communities on local, national and even international levels.
Well-trained, dedicated volunteers and staff at the Fond du Lac Red Cross provide basic emergency disaster assistance to individuals and communities affected by both natural and man-made disasters. Members of the Disaster Action Team (DAT) volunteer to be on-call should such a disaster strike in our area.
Disaster Action Teams
Disaster Action Teams (DATs) are volunteers who provide immediate emergency services to those affected by a disaster. Typically, a disaster is a fire in a single family home. The DATs also respond to large-scale disasters such as floods and tornadoes. In addition to distributing blankets, clothing, toiletries and other necessary items to people who have experienced a fire, the volunteers help people find a place to stay and food to eat & often provide financial assistance free of charge for them to do so. Disaster Action Team volunteers are given special training on topics such as Disaster Assessment and Mass Care to ensure that they are well prepared to respond to local disasters.
What DAT Does
DATs respond to verifiable requests for emergency assistance. Usually the response is to a single family disaster, however the DAT assesses the disaster to determine if a greater response is needed.
The DAT then goes to the scene to assist our clients (those who have been in the disaster). We determine our clients' needs and insure that their immediate food, shelter, clothing, and emotional needs are met.
DAT members are available at a moments notice to assist individuals involved in disasters.
Who is the DAT?
DAT members are dedicated volunteers. They are able to be on call for designated shifts and respond quickly when called. DAT members volunteer for a variety of reasons and come from a variety of backgrounds including:
Retired persons
Business owners
Students
Teachers
Postal employees
Registered Nurses
Carpenters
Stay at Home Moms
University employees
Many others
Some DAT personnel have been helping for many years, others are just starting out.
Those wishing to be disaster action team volunteers have some additional forms to fill out in addition to the ones that other volunteers are required to complete. Those forms may be found here.