New Guidelines in DSHR Recruitment & Deployment For Level 4 and 5 Disasters

Immediately after being notified of a disaster, the Deployment Center will begin recruiting and deploying staff in an identified sequence based on getting people with critical skills and knowledge to assist chapters more quickly. Recruitment and deployment will continue in a “wave” that will be completed within 48 hours of the disaster. It will take into account available Service Area capacity and resources, and base recruitment on open positions that need to be filled. Specific functions, and the positions within those functions needed to immediately begin and sustain services, have been identified. The disaster will dictate how many people in what functions are needed and they will be targeted to ensure the immediate needs are met. Adjustments can easily be made if specific disasters dictate a change in the order of recruitment and deployment. Leadership staff will be recruited first. Non-leadership staff will be recruited based on the availability of local and spontaneous volunteers. The total number of leadership staff recruited will depend on:

• the availability of qualified leadership in the area,
• affected chapter/state and service area capacity and readiness,
• type and size of the disaster,
• history
• projected service delivery needs.

Wave 1
Goals:

• to support and enhance service delivery initiated by chapters
• arrive on the relief operation within 24 hours of the event

Strategy:

• Establish the infrastructure for the disaster relief operation by deploying leadership and specialty staff from within and outside the affected service area.

Functions:

• Administration
• Communications
• Damage Assessment
• Disaster Health Services
• Local Disaster Volunteers
• Logistics
• Mass Care
• Staffing
• Training

Wave 2

Goals:

• increase service delivery to clients
• continue to establish the relief operation infrastructure

Functions:

• Chapter Liaison
• Disaster Computer Operations
• Mental Health Services
• Disaster Welfare Information
• Family Services
• Fund Raising
• Government Liaison
• Public Affairs
• Safety and Security

Wave 3

Goals:

• complete the staff deployment required as identified in the initial service delivery plan
• establish the complete disaster relief operation headquarters