The American Red Cross Disaster Action Team (DAT) provides 24/7, 365-day emergency response to local disasters, primarily home fires, offering immediate assistance like food, shelter, and comfort kits. Volunteers are trained to deploy within hours to support families, with opportunities for both in-person and virtual, on-call shifts.
Key Aspects of the Red Cross DAT Role:
- Mission: To provide immediate, on-the-scene support, comfort, and financial assistance to individuals affected by local disasters.
- Duties: Assessing needs, providing emergency supplies, and helping families navigate the immediate aftermath of a disaster.
- Time Commitment: On-call 6 hour shift
- Requirements: Reliable transportation, and a smart device for access to response systems (RC Respond).
- Training: Involves online, self-paced, training or in person DAT in a Day
- Structure: Comprised largely of local volunteers who respond to approximately 60,000 emergencies annually.
