The National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) has reached out to the EMS community affected by Hurricane Katrina by raising money, offering temporary housing and coordinating volunteer efforts.
Raising Money
The NAEMT Board voted on Tuesday to donate an additional $20,000 of NAEMT funds to the NAEMT EMS and Rescuer Relief Fund, bringing the total donation from the association to $25,000. The fund was initially established in response to the 9-11 terrorist attacks.
The money collected will be made available to EMS professionals who need help rebuilding their lives in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. No decisions have been made yet as to precisely when and how the funds will be disseminated. After 9-11, NAEMT disseminated $107,553 to assist the families of EMS workers who died in the line of duty while responding to the terrorist attacks.
NAEMT urges anyone who is able to make a financial donation to send a check to the NAEMT EMS and Rescuer Relief Fund c/o the NAEMT Headquarters, PO Box 1400, Clinton, MS 39060-1400. Credit card donations can be made at http://relief.naemt.org/donate.
Individual and corporate donations are welcomed, and corporations are encouraged to match employee contributions. NAEMT has pledged to cover the operational costs of the fund, permitting all donations to the fund to be distributed in their entirety.
Providing Housing
Many EMS workers and their families in the areas affected by the hurricane have lost their homes. NAEMT has created a database of housing opportunities for these people while their homes and communities are rebuilt.
NAEMT is also collecting information from EMS workers from the affected areas who need housing. Eligible candidates must be currently active and involved in EMS work as EMTs or paramedics. NAEMT will conduct a background check on these individuals and then match them with available housing.
Forms to participate in this program may be downloaded from http://www.naemt.org/forTheMedia/Rescuefund.htm. Questions should be e-mailed to [email protected].
Coordinating Volunteers
NAEMT continues to post volunteer opportunities for EMS workers on www.naemt.org. In addition, the NAEMT PHTLS Division is working with Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, to assemble a team of EMS workers who can relieve some of the overworked EMTs and paramedics in the New Orleans area. Approximately 2,000 EMS workers are needed immediately.
Interested volunteers should send the following information to [email protected]:
- Name
- Contact information (e-mail, cell phone, address);
- Level and state(s) of certification;
- National Registry Number, if you have one;
- Availability for deployment (i.e., when you can start work - immediately to 3 days, 4 days to one week, more than one week, etc.);
- The length of time you can be deployed;
- If you meet the recommendations for deployment (see below); and
- If you can arrange for a stocked ambulance from your squad that could also be deployed.
In order to be deployed, volunteers should possess and present a current state EMS license, as well as a valid driver
