Red Cross volunteers needed as state prepares for potentially severe wildfire season

7/8/2020 - We have already seen more than 300 wildfires across Washington state, even though the season doesn't typically begin until mid-July. 

Because experts are projecting that Washington and Oregon will have the worst wildfire seasons in the country, the Red Cross is preparing and looking for volunteers.

Conny Garcia Gaigan is a Red Cross dispatcher program manager and says being in the middle of a pandemic is making it challenging for the organization to deploy trained disaster volunteers from other parts of the country, especially in the face of an emergency.

“We are stretched thin a bit, so we are always looking for volunteers, especially since we have been at this for a couple of months. We have got the training there in place, so as people will hopefully start to come in, we can get them up and going and directly into the activities that they are interested in helping with.”

The Red Cross responds to several kinds of disasters, but right now in our state, the biggest need is the wildfire fight. The organization is hoping that people will want to step up and help their neighbors.

“We just really need volunteers. We want to make sure that we are there for the community like we have been in the past, and so being able to draw volunteers from those communities to help those communities I think is the best that we as the Red Cross are able to be there.”

There is a need for volunteers to support sheltering efforts. Because of COVID-19, the Red Cross is putting people in emergency hotel lodging when possible. But when that isn`t an option, the Red Cross will still open traditional shelters.

Volunteers are needed for shelter reception, registration, information collection and other vital tasks. The Red Cross is also asking for health services support. It is looking for nurses, EMTs, paramedics and others who are licensed and can work in shelters assessing people`s health, including screening for COVID-19.

There are also opportunties virtually if you don't feel safe helping in person. if you are interested in volunteering in our community in case of a disaster, click here.