On the evening of March 5, 2013 the American Red Cross held their first Disaster Action Team training course for Copperopolis. Approximately 8 residents attended with backgounds from Law Enforcement to Hospice, from homemaker to firefighter, all there to volunteer their time in the event of a Copperopolis disaster.
The team will learn shelter operations, mass care, client casework and more. They will plan a local emergency shelter and organize the estimated needs for food, clothing, and mental and physical health. This Disaster Action Team (DAT) will also learn how to guide those who show up after a disaster and are willing to help. The DAT team will undergo hours of training and participate in a mock disaster.
In the upcoming mock disaster the Copperopolis DAT team will participate in a tour bus crash with limited access, lost lives, power lines down, hazmat spill, etc. Multiple agencies will participate in this disaster training; Air med, CalFire, CHP, amateur radio operators, two ambulance companies, Mark Twain Med Center, local fire agencies...to name a few.
According Mr Lewis, the Red Cross DAT the instructor, 92 cents of every dollar given to the American Red Cross goes towards programs, leaving 8 cents for staffing. He stressed to the volunteers that they "are the stewards of the donated dollar...you are the American Red Cross."
At the completion of their training they will be prepared to serve Copperopolis or any community during the onslaught or aftermath of a disaster.
