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DAT and AFES volunteers needed

The American Red Cross, Greater Buffalo Chapter is searching for volunteers to join its disaster action team (DAT) and Armed Forces Emergency Services (AFES) team.

“DAT volunteers are extremely important to the operation of the American Red Cross,” Kenneth Turner, director of emergency services, said.  “These are the folks who respond to local disasters, like residential fires, as well as go out on national disaster relief operations.”

While “hurricane season” doesn’t officially begin until June 1, it is important that the Red Cross have DAT volunteers trained ahead of time.

Turner said, “When disaster strikes, we need to have a cadre of volunteers trained and ready to respond.  While DAT volunteers are most likely to respond to local emergencies like residential fires, we need to be prepared when hurricanes or other disasters, like floods or wild fires, occur.”

He added, “The Red Cross thoroughly trains all of its volunteers.  We would never send a volunteer into a situation that he or she is not prepared to handle.”

The Greater Buffalo Chapter is also seeking volunteers to serve the Armed Forces Emergency Services (AFES) program.
“The Red Cross AFES program continues to play a vital role in the communications between military personnel and their families,” Turner said.
 
Using a worldwide emergency network, AFES facilitates communications between military and their loves ones when messages need to be sent.  As more servicemen and women were called to duty, the Greater Buffalo Chapter responded to nearly 700 requests for assistance in the past year.

Several DAT courses are being offered during the month of March, and prospective AFES volunteers can be trained on a one-on-one basis.
 
For more information on volunteer opportunities or to register for volunteer training classes, please contact Amanda Campbell at (716) 878-2364 or CampbellAma@usa.redcross.org.

The American Red Cross, Greater Buffalo Chapter prepares for, and responds to, community disasters and emergencies and helps people lead safe and healthy lives.  The American Red Cross is one of the oldest and largest volunteer driven organizations in the United States and locally depends on the contributions of more than 1,000 volunteers to provide its emergency service and health education program.
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