Volunteer
Louisiana is one of the most disaster-prone states in the country. We are always in need of volunteers to respond to disasters in our local communities. 
Our Disaster Action Teams respond, on average, every 18 hours to single-family house fires in our 10-parish jurisdiction. In the event of a major hurricane, we need more than 800 volunteers daily to help provide a safe, secure place for local residents and evacuees from coastal parishes to stay.
“Volunteering as a DAT member with the Red Cross is the best way to put the compassion I have for others into action,” said Kevin Goerge, a Disaster Action Team member, who responds mostly to residential fires. “Being able to give those families the assistance for food, clothing and a place to stay at least takes some of the immediate anxiety away so they can focus on the bigger picture of their long-term recovery.”
Trained human resources allow Louisiana to take care of itself, and decrease the need of others to respond from out of the area, which takes more time and is costly.
“The great thing about it is anybody can take training and go help,” said Clay Smilie, who volunteered with his wife on Disaster Relief Operations both in Louisiana and in three other states in 2011. “You don’t have to be special. The only qualification you have to have is the willingness to help others during a time of need.”
Louisiana residents consistently show up to help after a disaster. By registering in advance and taking basic training, you’ll enable us to respond faster and ensure a high quality of service to those affected by disaster. If you are in a position to help, either on a regular basis or only for “the big one,” please register to volunteer now and be ready to respond “not if the time comes, but when the time comes.”
Start today
1. Fill out the application (which is just two pages) and request a background check.
2. Take Disaster Services Overview, Part One, at home or at work to learn how the Red Cross works with other organizations to respond to disasters. [This link will ask you to register in our Learning Management System so we can track your training. It operates in the same manner as if you were purchasing goods on the Internet, but there is no charge for disaster courses. To aid you in the future, we recommend you change your username to your e-mail address. When the “Create Order” screen pops up, go to the bottom right and “Place Order.” On the next screen, click on “Launch Content” to start the course, which usually takes about an hour.]
3. Call our Community Outreach Coordinator Barbara Bourgeois at (225) 456-5555 to make an appointment to complete Part 2 of Disaster Services Overview, discuss volunteer opportunities, and learn of the training and activities available that match your interests.
If you have any questions regarding the volunteer process, please contact Barbara Bourgeois at (225) 456-5555 or bbourgeois@batonrouge.redcross.org.