In times of crisis, trained Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) volunteers play a critical role in meeting the needs in the affected community, including helping first responders cope with the tragedy.
Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) is one of the upcoming trainings scheduled for this spring through Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief and the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM). Chaplains and others trained in CISM are better able to offer help to first responders and others who have been involved in situations that leave them emotionally and/or physically affected by those incidents. CISM training is useful for anyone who has an interest in serving law enforcement, fire or EMS as a chaplain, and is part of the curriculum of the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation.
The training will be held March 8–9 at Shocco Springs Baptist Conference Center. Registration is open at www.shocco.org.
Several statewide disaster relief trainings are scheduled in March through SBOM and will be held at the Disaster Relief Center in Prattville.
Child care, March 17. Child care volunteers provide a safe and loving environment for children who have experienced crisis. They provide care for children while parents attend to damages, paperwork and other needs following a disaster.
Communication, March 17. Communications volunteers utilize amateur (ham) radio to assist in the coordination, placement, supply and support of ministry teams responding to a disaster. Emergency communications volunteers are a valuable link between first responders, volunteers in the field and administrative teams. An FCC license is required.
Administrative, March 24. Administrative volunteers are needed to be part of the initial strike team that goes into a disaster area to set up the response network. Administrative volunteers arrange for housing, food and other logical needs for response teams and are responsible for keeping operations running smoothly.
Additional trainings
Several other trainings are available regionally and are listed in the Global Missions Disaster Relief Database at www.alsbom-gm.org.
These trainings include sessions for new volunteers and current volunteers who need refresher training or wish to train in an additional area of service.
Associations offering training in the coming months include:
• Southeast Alabama Baptist Association, Feb. 22–24.
• Tuscaloosa Baptist Association, March 1–3.
• Coffee Baptist Association, March 9–10.
• Tuskegee-Lee Baptist Association, March 15–17.
• DeKalb Baptist Association, April 19–21. (TAB)
For more information call the SBOM office of global missions at 334-613-2356.
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