MAYOR GARCETTI ANNOUNCES VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES WITH CITY’S CRISIS RESPONSE TEAM
Seven week training program begins May 5th in Downtown L.A.
LOS ANGELES – Mayor Eric Garcetti announced volunteer opportunities for individuals living or working in the City of Los Angeles to become a member of the Mayor’s Crisis Response Team (CRT). The program is particularly in need of volunteers with bilingual capability in Spanish, Korean, Armenian, Farsi, Chinese, and Tagalog, but all interested volunteers are encouraged to apply.
“Every day we hear about unexpected tragedies impacting our communities and many of us wish there was something more we could do to help,” said Mayor Garcetti. “The Mayor’s Crisis Response Team gives Angelenos an opportunity to join a team of compassionate volunteers who are committed to helping others as they begin the grieving process and deal with the loss of life or a traumatic injury of a loved one.”
The Mayor’s Crisis Response Team is composed of community civilian volunteers that respond to traumatic incidents at the request of the Los Angeles Police & Los Angeles Fire Departments. The teams of volunteers provide immediate on-scene crisis intervention, attend to survival and comfort needs, act as a liaison between the victim & emergency personnel, and provide referrals to victims and their families affected by a death, a serious injury, a violent crime, or other traumatic incidents. These include homicides, suicides, serious traffic accidents, natural deaths, and multi-casualty incidents. CRT volunteers help Angelenos as they begin their grieving process and deal with the immediate aftermath of the incident.
In 2013, CRT volunteers responded to 268 separate incidents. While the majority of incidents that volunteers respond to involve loss of life or severe trauma, CRT members have also been included in large scale civic operations, including the Kingdom Day Parade, the transportation of the Space Shuttle Endeavor, and the LA Marathon. CRT volunteers also participate in city events to provide community members information on the CRT program.
The Mayor’s Crisis Response Team program is managed by the Mayors Office of Homeland Security & Public Safety and is operated in collaboration with the City’s Fire and Police Departments. CRT has four bureaus, South, Central, West, and Valley.
CRT volunteers must be at least 21 years old and in good physical condition. Those accepted into the program are required to participate in 42 hours of intensive training designed to help them develop the skills, knowledge, and relationships necessary to function effectively in the field. The Spring 2014 training program will run from Monday, May 5 – Wednesday, June 18. Meetings will be held on Monday and Wednesday evenings in Downtown Los Angeles. The application deadline is Wednesday, April 23rd.
Residents interested in learning more about volunteering for the Crisis Response Team should email [email protected]. A link to the application can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/CRT-Spring2014.