Introduction
In mass-casualty accidents, professionals often require additional support upon arrival at the scene. Community members may volunteer to help, and their support can become a vital factor in assisting more affected individuals. However, as volunteers, they most likely lack professional training in emergency response and may not know what to do in a challenging situation. When managing volunteers, professional responders must learn to identify suitable volunteers, engage them, and assign tasks appropriately.
Challenges of Volunteer Collaboration
Definition of a Volunteer
Several major issues are present in the process of working with volunteers. According to Cher et al. (2019), the first challenge that first responders encounter is understanding who can be considered a volunteer. The key management component that can be implemented in these situations is a typology of volunteers. This model introduces three types of people at the scene who are not directly impacted by the incident: bystanders, spontaneous volunteers (SVs), and willing volunteers (WVs) (Cher et al., 2019).
SVs are eager to help and may already be engaged in some form of assistance, while WVs may stand nearby and await instructions. Finally, bystanders are individuals who do not want to help but may stay to observe. This classification simplifies the professional’s assessment of the people present and helps comprehend how to deal with them. For instance, SVs can be engaged as coordinators and supervisors, VWs must be instructed and led, and bystanders should be asked not to interfere or to leave the location for everyone’s safety.
Delegation and Communication
Another problem that appears when coordinating volunteers is the difficulty in delegating tasks and communicating needs and new information. Professional responders must recruit, coordinate, train, organize, support, and notify volunteers throughout the process (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018). The number of tasks in a pressing situation may be overwhelming, even for experienced professionals. Furthermore, responders have to consider whether it is safe to engage volunteers.
Volunteer Management
To systematize volunteer management, Cher et al. (2019) advise using the SCAN protocol: assessing safety, calling for assistance, assigning tasks, and networking. The first step is to ensure that using volunteers is safe. If they are unequipped to tackle contaminated equipment or are at significant risk of injury, employing them may lead to additional negative consequences.
In the second stage, professionals should use simple questions to call for assistance, engaging both SV and WV. It is believed that most people show initiative before they are recruited, but asking for help may engage additional supportive persons (Cher et al., 2019). The next stage is assigning duties to each person using a volunteer “triage” model based on individuals’ skills and training. For instance, Cher et al. (2019) introduce an algorithm that distinguishes between those with medical experience and the rest and engages them in healthcare-related assistance. Finally, provide updates and talk to volunteers to inform them of any changes. As a result, the SCAN protocol allows responders to perform the necessary tasks and acts as a simple model for prioritizing actions.
Conclusion
In conclusion, volunteers can be beneficial in an emergency if their skills and eagerness to help are utilized efficiently. First responders may encounter challenges such as identifying willing volunteers, determining whether it is safe to use volunteer support, and navigating collaboration with non-professionals. The article under consideration introduces several models to address these issues, including the volunteer typology, the SCAN protocol, and the volunteer triage system.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Public health emergency preparedness and response capabilities. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Cher, A. M., Kent, M. R., Lyver, M., Vogt, A., Fox, T., Schreiber, S., Newbury, B., & Al Mulhim, M. (2019). Leveraging volunteers during emergent events. JEMS.