Veterans Serving During Disasters

Website

http://ert.lonestarveterans.org

What is your idea to address an unmet need of service members, veterans and their families?

Veterans have a wide range of experience and skills . Upon leaving the military, they feel like those skills are under utilized. For veterans who served as medics, corpsmen, or in other rescue capacities, the Emergency Response Team is a place for them to volunteer. The ERT hosts classes for civilians to take CPR and first aid, responds with local emergency services during disasters, and provides public safety support at large events. By giving veterans a chance to serve their community, we can best use their skills and give them fulfillment outside of the military. The camaraderie of working with veterans that are volunteering to help their community can be empowering and help with the transition from military to civilian life.

What specific population do you plan to work with? What is their unmet need?

The Emergency Response Team is staffed with volunteers who served in the recent conflicts of Iraq and Afghanistan. We are continuing to recruit and train volunteers every month. We are not looking to give veterans "charity", but to give them a chance to serve. Veterans know how to handle themselves during intense situations and by providing a structured and certified team for them to work with, they can help during a time of great need. Some veterans are good at teaching and training, so we host CPR and first aid classes for civilian groups and businesses that allow the veteran to best use their skills and pass them onto others.

What is your implementation plan, and how would the $1,000 be used?

The $1000.00 will go towards training material and equipment to outfit volunteers on the Emergency Response Team. The veterans build on their military skills by taking classes in Search and Rescue, Incident Command, Basic First Aid, HazMat, CPR, Urban Rescue Operations and more. Each team member is also equipped with the proper clothing and safety equipment to use during operations, as well as the rescue and medical supplies needed to help the injured. The Emergency Response Team is a volunteer team that operates under the Lone Star Veterans Association, which is a non-profit veteran group that assists veterans with transition from military to civilian life.

How are volunteers the key ingredient to your solution?

Volunteers are not just here to help the community, but are there to help themselves. By providing a place for the veteran to best use their skills to help others, the Emergency Response Team can empower that veteran to succeed in other areas of their life. Depression, isolation, and thoughts of loneliness are some of the problems that veterans face. By volunteering on a team of veterans, who are just like them, they can work together to help the community and to help themselves.

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