How To Become a Rapid Response Team Member

For more information, contact Jennifer Schrolucke at jennifersc@bestfriends.org.

The Best Friends Rapid Response team is organized so that we're in compliance with the National Animal Rescue and Sheltering Coalition (NARSC), of which Best Friends is a member. Team members are deployed at the discretion of our Rapid Response Manager, Rich Crook, and our national volunteer coordinator in the event of a disaster.

For the first level of response readiness (also known as "Awareness") you would need to take four courses:

1. FEMA IS-100.A Introduction to the Incident Command System, I-100
2. FEMA IS-200.A ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents
3. FEMA IS-700.A National Incident Management System (NIMS), An Introduction
4. FEMA IS-800.B National Response Framework, An Introduction

This coursework is available at http://training.fema.gov. When you have completed these, as well as any other relevant trainings, please email the links to your certificates or send scanned copies to Jennifer Schrolucke at jennifersc@bestfriends.org.

We also highly recommend the following vaccinations and additional trainings. When completed, please send copies of the documentation for your file:

• Tetanus
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Rabies

First aid and CPR classes (available through the Red Cross or the American Heart Association)

We also need for you to complete the following paperwork:

1. If you are not already signed up, please become a Network Friend. Click Sign Up! Then login in and choose Edit Profile to update your record.
2. We need complete contact information, including snail mail address, on "My Volunteer Profile."
3. Then click the small orange word Volunteer and then Edit My Volunteer Info.
4.  Provide two professional or personal references (no family members, please) with email addresses on the "My References" tab.
5. Completely fill out the Medical Info" section on the "Additional Info" tab
6. We also need your unisex t-shirt size on the "Additional Info" tab. Other than that, you may include as much or as little information as you wish.
7. Signed  Volunteer Agreement (sent to you by Best Friends). You will be able to type in the date and your name (electronic signature) save it, and then return it to as an email attachment.