HSU Disaster Response Volunteer Instructor Program (VIPs)
About You
You've attended the workshops.
You have the experience and skills.
You're an NDART volunteer.
What's Next?
Be part of the HSU instructor team for our DART and EAS workshops! We need volunteers like YOU to continue the valuable disaster response education nationwide.
Our VIP instructors teach alongside trained, experienced animal disaster response specialists in workshops around the country. Together, we bring training to communities that are working to incorporate animals in their disaster plans, and we train responders to work with HSUS and other national groups that deploy to large-scale disasters.
This is an important job, and we're delighted that you're considering joining us.
Requirements
In order to be considered for the HSU’s Emergency Services Volunteer Instructor Program, you must:
- Attend both HSU’s DART and EAS workshops.
- Complete the following FEMA workshops:
- Animals in Disaster, Module A (IS 10)
- Animals in Disaster, Module B (IS 11)
- Incident Command System (IS 100)
- Incident Command System for Single Resources/Initial Action Incidents (IS 200)
- National Incident Management System (NIMS), an Introduction (IS 700)
- Complete the following American Red Cross workshops (or other certified workshop provider):
- Human First Aid and CPR
- Pet First Aid and CPR (strongly recommended)
- Complete registration as part of our National Disaster Animal Response Team (NDART) (field response is not required to be a volunteer instructor) at http://www.ndart.org
- Complete a phone or in-person interview with HSUS staff
- Instruct one or more modules under the guidance of an experienced Lead Instructor
Opportunities for Volunteer Instructors (VIPs)
- Disaster Animal Response Team (DART)
- Emergency Animal Sheltering (EAS)
- Animal First Aid for Disaster Responders (vets and vet techs only)
Our VIPs are also asked on occasion to instruct or speak at other events.
What are the Benefits of Volunteering?
- Network: Meet HSU instructors, disaster responders, and volunteers locally and nationwide.
- Travel: Volunteer instructors will be reimbursed for normal expenses associated with travel required in order to conduct a workshop (to include mileage or airfare, hotel, and meals). Cell phone and other expenses are not covered.
- Resume Builder: As a volunteer, your experience teaching disaster preparedness to communities is a distinctive credential.
Additional Information
- HSU Animal Disaster workshops are instructed by two or three HSU instructors.
- The teaching team will be managed by a lead instructor
- As a new volunteer instructor, you will co-teach as an "apprentice" instructor, covering the modules that are best suited to your skills, knowledge, and experience.
- As an experienced volunteer instructor, you will co-teach with other HSU staff and consultant members as an "associate" instructor.
- The lead instructor will contact all instructors, to include volunteers, to determine coverage of modules on a workshop-by-workshop basis.
- HSU Volunteer Instructors are asked to adhere to professional ethics and standards of behavior.
- Instructors must stay current in their specialties.
- HSU volunteers will be asked to sign an agreement which outlines these provisions.
To apply as a volunteer instructor, please fill out the HSU Instructor Application and fax or email it to disastertraining@hsus.org or (fax :) 866-698-0749.