Value of Volunteers: Northern Alberta Wildfires Response
When the Canadian Red Cross was alerted that help was needed with the northern Alberta wildfires, it responded by first calling in local teams. As the magnitude of the disaster became apparent, the Red Cross quickly pulled in people from its vast resource of volunteers across Canada.
“The Red Cross response to the wildfires could not have been accomplished without volunteers,” says Steve Armstrong, Canadian Red Cross provincial director for Alberta. “The expense to hire people to carry out what our volunteers did would have been astronomical. In fact, 95 per cent of the Red Cross workers were volunteers.”
The main role of the Red Cross in any disaster is to see that the most vulnerable people have their basic needs met first. To do this, a needs assessment team determines requirements for food, shelter and clothing, once all medical needs or potential immediate threats are handled. This assistance can last from several hours to many months.
Doug Bryson of St. Johns, Newfoundland has been volunteering with the Red Cross for five years. He was deployed to Slave Lake where he volunteered as Deputy Operations Manager. “We know our roles and are able to react in an efficient, organized and cost-effective manner,” says Bryson. “This applies whether our role is shelter management, registration and inquiry, or any other jobs we may be asked to assume.”
Wade Horton, a Slave Lake resident whose family lost their home because of the wildfires, says it was valuable to have the Red Cross support in the process of rebuilding. “They kept track of us and guided us in getting the help we needed,” says Horton. “They have been very helpful and supportive.”
Read more about the Canadian Red Cross response in northern Alberta this past year or learn about opportunities to volunteer with the Canadian Red Cross.
