Crisis Support Volunteers and Mass Casualty Incidents

Course Objectives

Malicious acts, disasters and other emergencies may occur anywhere at any time, even in the safest of duty stations. When these events occur, providing timely and compassionate support for staff and their families affected by the crisis is the Organization's priority.

The training programme is an integral component of the organizational response available to support staff and their families in a crisis. Participants in this training will develop a common understanding of the Organization’s protocol for providing initial assistance to staff. The aim of the training is to achieve a consolidated and comprehensive operating response to survivors and affected families. It also aims to clearly define the roles and the responsibilities between individual key players to make crisis response more strategic and less bureaucratic.

This session also offers an overview of the UN emergency protocols related to Mass Casualty Incidents and the role of the Emergency Preparedness and Support Team, (EPST), New York. This provides a deep insight into the emergency mechanism, organizational resilience and business continuity.

The workshop will enable participants to:

• review techniques for rapid and helpful engagement with those who have experienced crisis and/or traumatic events;
• learn to use strategies for identifying those at greater risk for referral to professional help and recognition of grief reactions;
• practice skills for responding to distress in a way that promotes realistic hope and resilience;
• examine ways in which the impact of grief and loss can change over time, and how they can support individuals and families in taking proactive steps to recover and heal from such events.

Target audience

All staff members who are willing to serve as Family Focal Points