Red Cross New Responder Boot Camp

The Oconee County Chapter of the American Red Cross is looking for dedicated volunteers to assist with disasters.  Before it used to take months to become certified as a disaster responder but now it only takes one day, explains Brian Scoles of the Oconee County Chapter of the American Red Cross, who is organizing a new responder boot camp.  “The boot camp is designed to help answer the question, what can we do to help?  Often during large-scale disasters, we get a lot of folks that are interested in helping during disasters and so a lot of folks contact the American Red Cross wanting to help.  The boot camps are really designed to answer that question.  We are offering three classes: a disaster orientation class to teach people about the American Red Cross; a shelter orientation and shelter fundamentals class; and a disaster assessment class.  Those three classes used to take months to take and these classes are now condensed into one eight-hour day.  That helps those folks to get those three classes in one day, so they can become Red Cross responders quickly.  After they complete those three classes, along with an online application, a background check and an orientation class, they are ready to become Red Cross responders.” The new responder boot camp is this Saturday from 9am to 5:30pm in the Oconee County Chapter Office of the American Red Cross, located at 224 East Main Street in Walhalla.  To register, simply call 864-449-7281.