Disaster Shelter/Response Teams Program

About the Program

Category: Risk and Emergency Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2016

Since 2001, the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), working with the County’s Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEMHS), and the key partner of the American Red Cross (ARC), has had a lead role in the Emergency Support Function 6 (ESF6): mass care, sheltering, feeding, housing and emergency assistance. The ESF6 task most often requested, in addition to planning, is the establishment of emergency general shelters when the county is faced with severe storms, natural disasters, multiple dwelling unit fires and most recently a historical Blizzard 2016. In February 2015, the Department of Health and Human Services strategized a change in approach for staffing emergency shelters, from simply calling staff on a list, to the development of geographically situated Disaster Shelter/Response Teams (DS/RTs). Eight teams were developed from a core of 80 trained staff that also were a cross-section of the Department. Team members were selected based upon where they lived, their diversity in skill ets/professional background, and the county was divided into three areas; north, central and south. Several teams per area were formed (i.e. South Orange, Central Blue). Team members represented the service areas of the Department (Aging and Disability Services; Behavioral Health and Crisis Services; Special Needs Housing; Children, Youth and Family Services; Public Health and Community Affairs. Each team has two-deep leadership, namely county lead representatives (CLRs), a public health nurse, and trained faith community partners called emotional spiritual care volunteers (ESCVs).