Palm Beach County Fire Rescue CARES!

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PBCFR Mobile Integrated Health Program- CARES Team

The Need:

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue responds to over 132,000 emergency calls every year which creates an entry point for those in need of support and services that may go beyond the event that initiated their 911 call.

The Mission:

To provide a professional (MIH) and volunteer social services team (CARES) that offers comfort, assistance, resources, and evaluation to those served by Palm Beach County Fire Rescue who have been identified as having a need for support during a 911 call.

The Model:

Comfort: Provide emotional first aid on the scene of 911 calls in the jurisdiction of Palm Beach County Fire Rescue to support individuals, families, bystanders, and responders.

Assistance: Provide a volunteer bridge to professional (MIH) advocacy, information, education, and support related to the social service needs of those referred to the Palm Beach County Fire Rescue CARES Team, as well as participating in community partnerships and special projects to address the needs of the community related to social services and emergency medical care.

Resources: Empower those served to meet a need, reach a goal, achieve stability, and/or improve life quality by serving as a resource connection to agencies, organizations, and community partners.

Evaluation: Identify the strengths and challenges of the individuals and families we serve to create a plan to meet their stability needs and life quality goals.

The Goal:

Safety Net: To be a safety net of crisis support and social services to meet the unique needs of all those served by Palm Beach County Fire Rescue.

The Role:

There are two unique opportunities for volunteers on the CARES Team. The first is field based work responding to emergency scenes to provide emotional first aid and urgently needed resources. The second opportunity is to facilitate telephone based triage and response, including needs assessment and resource provision, to support the professional Mobile Integrated Health Team.

The Requirements:

Volunteers must be 21 years of age of older, have a valid Florida Driver's License, and pass both a driving and criminal background check. Training and/or education in social work, human services, counselingm nursing, or related health profession is required. Current college students are welcome, and may also inquire regarding internship opportunities. Volunteers should be empathetic, have basic computer skills, and be comfortable working with all ages and populations. Volunteers should be available to commit to a minimum of 10 hours of volunteer time per month. Volunteer shifts vary and are available day and evening, 7 days a week. Volunteers who are utilized in call response should be reasonably comfortable with the potential of being aware of or an observer of situations that may involve graphic injuries and death, inclusive of being in close proximity to a deceased individual, a dying individual, or an individual who is seriously injured. Volunteers will receive training related to this type of scenario and support as needed.

Volunteers will be interviewed for acceptance as a member of the CARES Team. Once accepted, and upon successful completion of background screening, volunteers will receive extensive orientation and training for their role. Orientation and training opportunities are offered four times a year.

For more information or to request consideration for the CARES Team please email Fire-CARES@pbcgov.org and/or complete our online application: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SPSX9GB

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue CARES, Join Us!