It’s a long way from the war-torn world of Kandahar, Afghanistan to the flooded landscape of Sicamous, but for Jodie Densmore the step is not all that big. Jodie is used to working under stressful conditions. In fact, she does her best work when the pressure is on. Densmore is the newly appointed Community Planning and Response Coordinator with the Disaster Management team at the Kelowna based Southern Interior Region office of the Canadian Red Cross. On first blush it appears the Kelowna HQ of the famous non-profit organization have found themselves the perfect person for the demanding job.
Jodie is not only bright and personable but also exudes a sense of calmness, confidence, and clarity - traits so important for her job. When chaos strikes full force that is when any emergency response organization such as the Red Cross needs a strong leader on the ground, and Densmore has already demonstrated her ability to capably handle stress and turmoil. In 2004, Jodie joined the Canadian Forces Reserves as a member of the 11th Field Ambulance Medical Unit in Victoria while working as an undergraduate in Kinesiology. Then between 2009 and 2010, she was deployed to Afghanistan for 10 months of service.
"I was a medic with the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team, which was there to rebuild and provide security, and escort officials to meetings and such," Jodie explains calmly. During whatever spare time she was permitted in her military role she was also busy writing papers for her Masters degree in Human Security and Peace Building.
A resident of both Kelowna and Victoria since 2008 Jodie says she is thrilled with her new job.
"I actually called the Kelowna office to volunteer my services and while trying to figure out how I could best fit in I learned that this job had opened up again. I applied and was lucky enough to be selected.
"This job defines two things I am passionate about – people and volunteerism," she says.
Fittingly perhaps, Jodie’s skills were immediately put to test on her second day on the job. One could refer to it as baptism under fire – except in Jodie’s case it was actually baptism under flood. Jodie joined the Southern Interior office in Kelowna on June 25 and on June 26 was immersed helping with relief issues at the Sicamous disaster.
"It was pretty crazy," Jodie chuckles. "On my first day here a Vernon volunteer Cor Zandebergen came in and gave me a crash course of what to expect. Cor was fantastic help and since he’s a retired paramedic he is very knowledgeable in that way as well," Jodie explains.
In Sicamous, a team of 10 Red Cross volunteers worked alongside members of the Emergency Social Services workers in assisting victims of the major flood.
"Our role there was to determine the needs of the victims and help them return to self sufficiency. We assisted them with accommodation, food, clothing and emotional support. Sometimes it is a matter of simply being a sounding board for those who have faced such trauma," Densmore says.
"The Red Cross focus is to ensure basic needs are met during recovery," explains Southern Interior Regional Manager John Richey. "The Red Cross provides services to meet needs - not loss. Assistance is based on needs not eligibility," he clarifies.
Red Cross volunteers are generally invited or called into action by the province approximately 72 hours after a disaster has occurred. The local authority and Emergency Management B.C. (aka as the PEP – Provincial Emergency Program) lead and coordinate the response when disaster hits. Emergency Social Services (ESS) provide relief during the first 72 hours. During that time, Red Cross comes alongside to enable a continuation of services for those whose basic needs cannot be met by personal resources.
"It’s a lot of work but it can be very rewarding and people are generally very appreciative of the work we do," Richey adds.
While the Red Cross members spent two weeks in Sicamous, after seven days Jodie’s skills were called on to help coordinate Red Cross involvement in the tragic Johnsons Landing mudslide. Five volunteers were deployed to the site to lend assistance there.
"In that situation we had skilled volunteers from five different communities in B.C. make up the team of helpers. That shows the diversity and willingness of our volunteers around the province and country," Jodie says."They did a fabulous job under very difficult times."
Despite the current calm in the storm, the workload has not stopped for Jodie or the many volunteers at the local facility located at 124 Adams Road in Kelowna.
With the work at Johnsons Landing wrapped up Jodie has been extremely busy with the necessary paper work that comes with such tasks, while also preparing for the anticipated challenges that Mother Nature and other factors may create in the way of another disaster response. Densmore is currently preparing response kits for permanent deployment to the four core capacity Red Cross centers throughout the Southern Interior Region: Kelowna, Kamloops, Castlegar and Williams Lake.
"When we are called or invited into a disaster scenario we have to be prepared and ready to roll immediately once we get the call. Therefore, a big part of my job is to make sure we are as ready as possible.
"We have incredible team members who are all very dedicated and willing to assist others. Without our volunteers, and financial donations from the public, we simply could not function.
"We cannot be effective and I could not begin to do my job without volunteers," Jodie applauds.
Indeed – the national, provincial, and regional numbers of people assisted, programs offered, and services provided by the Red Cross is jaw dropping.
Within the past year, Red Cross members responded to 72 disasters in B.C. and Yukon. That total was a jump of more than double from the prior year. Last year alone, the Disaster Management Program assisted more than 10,000 people with immediate response and longer-term recovery, providing services such as lodging, hygiene kits, clean-up kits, and all sorts of recovery support to families. In 2011-12 in B.C. and the Yukon area, the Red Cross through one program or another, led by a core of just over 2,000 volunteers, served more than 451,000 people.
Those numbers are testimony to the statement that, "When disaster strikes the Canadian Red Cross is there."
And when it comes to the Southern Interior Region’s work, a smiling Jodie Dunmore is there to help lead the way.
For further information on the Red Cross, or how to volunteer or donate funds, telephone 250-491-8443 email john.richey@redcross.ca
