During his years as director of the Wood County Emergency Management Agency, Eric Larson often was dismayed as he witnessed the needs of communities facing the aftermath of calamities.

While there were scores of residents ready to volunteer their services, they weren’t organized or lacked the training certification that was needed to mesh with the professional responding agencies.
 

“It could be very frustrating knowing what the communities would be facing,” said Larson, now the Lake Township Fire Chief.

Out of that frustration is born an effort to fill that void.

Chief Larson and John Castellanos, a captain with the township fire department, last week said the department will be organizing a recruitment effort to form a citizens emergency response team, hoping to draw on the ranks of volunteers throughout the township and northern Wood County.

“We need to get a group going,” Capt. Castellanos said. “This is something we’ve been talking about for a long time.”

He said there will be public informational meetings to discuss the proposed response team June 11th at the Millbury fire station on Ayers Road and June 18 at the Walbridge station. Both meetings will start at 7 p.m.

Capt. Castellanos said he will be joined by Ed Brown, a firefighter, and Lt. Allan Murphy, both of the Walbridge station, in the organizing effort. They hope to utilize the talents of the members of the Fire Maids and Fire Bells, the women’s auxiliary units at the Millbury and Walbridge stations respectively, to help fill the need for skilled volunteers as well as reaching out to the community for prospective volunteers.

Training and certification of volunteers will come through agencies such as the Wood County Health Department, the Red Cross, and the Medical Reserve Corps, an organization of civilian volunteers sponsored by the U.S. Surgeon General’s office.

In the case of a natural disaster such as tornadoes, volunteers can play an important role in damage assessment, Capt. Castellanos said.

“If they’re certified by the Red Cross for damage assessment or shelter needs, as an example, we would be in a better position to receive relief supplies,” he said. “This would give us a cushion; to use trained people and know what they’re trained in. Some people have no problem working at a desk taking the names and other information of victims. Others may want to work with the special needs population, those in wheelchairs, on ventilators, children, or people with dementia. We’re definitely going to find a job for anyone wanting to volunteer.”

Chief Larson describes Lake Township as “a jurisdiction facing a core of issues” if a natural or man-made disaster should hit the area. Hazardous materials are hauled along its train yards. Major highways cross the township. An airport sits next to a Lake school complex.

“We want the volunteers to be trained in communication procedures,” he said. “It’s possible amateur radio enthusiasts could help set up an alternate communications center.”
 

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