1. The issue of coordinating volunteers during an earthquake response
Lizzy Stileman MSc
Disaster Management Specialist

2. Spontaneous Volunteers (SV)
Benefits and burdens

3. Preventing a disaster within a disaster

4. Agenda Introduction Academic study Examples Coordination of SVs
Coordination of Aid Agencies
Additional considerations
Team Rubicon
Mapping
Summary

5. Introduction Affiliated Volunteers
Attached to a voluntary agency
Normally trained for disaster response by their agency
Logistical support is provided

6. Introduction Spontaneous Volunteers
May or may not:
Be a resident
Have good training
Have good intentions
Positive public perception
Curious

7. Introduction Spontaneous Volunteers (SV)
No association with voluntary organisation
Feel motivated by degree of community ownership
They may be highly skilled
Accountant
Construction
Food Services
Information Technology

8. Academic Study SVs badly used in the past
Bigger the disaster, more international SVs
Poor publicity – money
Create a different disaster
Management pre-planned
Utilise SVs safely – positive
Most SVs arrive at the Response Phase, more use during the Recovery Phase

9. Academic Study Phases of a Disaster

10. Academic Study SVs first at the disaster:
‘When the earthquake hit Nepal on 25 April, the first responders were community members themselves: neighbours, family-members and friends grouping around to help one another. When rescuers and aid workers started to arrive to help, many community members joined the relief effort, most as unpaid volunteers’. (OCHA 2015)

11. Academic Study Earthquakes
Likelihood of damage or casualties
>6.5
Depth of epicenter < 30 km
Distance from population centres within 100km.
Vulnerability:
31 Mega-cities (defined as having a population >10 million: 1/3 are in earthquake prone zones

12. Examples
9/11
Floods UK 2014
Haiti 2010
Nepal 2015

13. Examples Communication and Social Media
Nepal 2015:
To identify villages in need of help, the volunteers rely on phone calls and social media, in particular Facebook groups that have been established since the earthquake specifically for this purpose. 

14. Coordination of the SVs
Identify existing local coordination processes and protocols
Identify a volunteer intake coordinating agency
Establish MOUs with the organisations
Who will staff the Volunteer Reception Centres
Equipment needs
Determine location for physical intake

15. Coordination of the SVs
Before a Disaster:
Encourage non-profit and governmental agencies to effectively involve volunteers in the four phases of disaster.
Encourage community members to become affiliated volunteers with existing disaster preparedness, response and recovery agencies (allows for training, best use of skills and prior-vetting).

16. Coordination of the SVs
Before a Disaster (continued)
Plan and prepare for spontaneous volunteer management
Train agencies unable to host affiliated volunteers how to access and manage spontaneous volunteer following an event

17. Coordination of SVs Best use of Volunteer Reception Centres

18. Coordination of SVs Volunteer Reception Centres
Considerations
Square footage
Parking
Ingress/Egress
Potential Locations
Schools
Places of worship
Vacant business/industrial buildings
Tents

19. Volunteer Reception Centre Process Flow 1. Intake, registration
Entrance
Volunteer processing
Volunteer seating
Waiting Area
Command
Staff areas
Phone bank
2. Organisation and safety
3. Volunteer processing
Data Entry
4. Background check
Support (logistics and finance)
7. Job training
6. Maps
7. Job training
7. Job training
5. Issue ID
EXIT

20. Coordination of SVs SV Referral / Placement
Determine process of vetting which organisations will receive volunteers
Determine priority needs and roles of organisations that can use unaffiliated volunteers
Research existing liability issues and laws that affect SV.

21. Customs – specialist equipment
Coordination of SVs How can national agencies prepare for external assistance?
Customs – specialist equipment
Liaison – escorts / guides / interpreters
Immigration – agreed lists / protocols
Legal aspects – criminal liability
Key focal points
Active participation training

22. Who coordinates in country?
INSARAG – International Search & Rescue Advisory Group
UNDAC – United Nations Disaster Assessment & Coordination
OSOCC – On-Site Operations Coordination Centre
UN-CMCoord – UN Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination

23. Who coordinates in country?
The Cluster System

24. The Sphere Project Do Aid Agencies have common standards? A handbook
A system of quality &
accountability
A set of guidelines for aid agencies

25. Additional Considerations Common Problems with Multination Coordination
Political agendas
Situational awareness
Impact assessment – languages
Communication strategy
Operating standards

26. Additional Considerations Key Messages
Affiliate!
Explain how SVs can overwhelm the system
Most need volunteers will be during the recovery
Give money
Cite ways to promote public messaging about the correct way to volunteer through recovery

27. Additional Considerations
Safe roles for unqualified
Use experience
Manage correctly
Prepare
Communicate

28. Additional Considerations Policy
International Standards Organization
ISO 22319: Involving spontaneous volunteers: A guidance framework 2017
Security and resilience -- Community resilience -- Guidelines for planning the involvement of spontaneous volunteers

29. Team Rubicon Military veterans Experienced Trained Voluntary
Any type of work
Get anywhere
Will manage SVs
Global reach
Team Rubicon UK

30. Useful links What3words (3m x 3m grid squares) Maps.me MapMart
Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT)
Map Action

31. Summary Differentiate between spontaneous and affiliated volunteers
Identify process for referring donated volunteer services to voluntary agencies
Match offered volunteer services to needs
Explain the interaction process with the local volunteer centres in the response phase
Cite ways to promote public messaging about the correct way to volunteer through recovery

32. Any question?