Service Centers
The National Capital Chapter of the American Red Cross has three service centers: South Fairfax/Fort Belvoir, 9716 Middleton Road, Fort Belvoir; North Fairfax Service Center, 1112 Herndon Parkway, Herndon; and the chapter headquarters, 2131 K St. N.W., Washington, D.C.
Nearly eight years ago, Kathy Vernon had checked into what it would take to become a volunteer for the American Red Cross, but she was leery of traveling from her Reston home to the National Capital Chapter's headquarters in Washington, D.C., for the necessary training.
Then in 2001, the chapter opened the North Fairfax Service Center in Herndon.
"When I signed up, I didn't know what I was getting into," Vernon said. "My first experience was with DAT [Disaster Action Team]. I was signed up with another person and we helped two families with fires."
Today, Vernon is a DAT team captain and since completing her training in January, she has responded to three local fires and was sent to southern Virginia to help flood victims.
"I can be used as much as I have time available. They certainly didn't waste any time getting me out there," Vernon said.
IN 1989, the Fairfax County chapter of the Red Cross merged with the chapter in Washington, D.C., to form the National Capital Chapter, headquartered at 2131 K St. N.W. in Washington, D.C., which serves Fairfax County; Washington, D.C.; the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church; Fort Belvoir; and Walter Reed in Bethesda, Md. Recently the chapter underwent another merger, this time with Montgomery County, which is headquartered in Silver Spring, Md. Carrie Martin, the chapter's pubic affairs manager, said the merger should not have any negative impacts on the services the chapter provides.
"The trend in the country is the merger of Red Cross chapters. Fewer Red Cross chapters makes sense from a donor-dollar point of view," Martin said. "The services are still on the community level. It's Fairfax County volunteers responding to Fairfax County disasters. It's neighbors helping neighbors."
Martin said that although the focus is still on community, which is reinforced with the creation of local service centers, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks have forced the Red Cross to look at how it provides services and the importance of putting into place a regional response plan as well.
THE VOLUNTEERS of DAT are trained and respond locally. They take turns being on-call and work on disasters, mostly fires in this area, when the county's Emergency Management Team calls the chapter for help. The calls are handled by a disaster duty officer, who in turn notifies the local on-call DAT team captain.
"There are eight team captains. I get a call and call the members of my team," Vernon said. "We respond to the disaster, assess the situation and see where we can meet the needs of the people mostly with food, clothing and shelter. We are always on the scene within two hours, and we're taking steps to improve."
With additional training and experience, volunteers can be asked to respond to a national disaster as support for a local chapter.
Martin admits in the past there have been instances where communications have broken down generating criticism for the chapter in how it responds to county disasters.
Vernon, however, said that her experience has been nothing but positive. Even so, Vernon said she has heard of fires in the area that the Red Cross was not called to respond to. Martin said that is not unusual. The emergency management team typically calls the Red Cross for assistance only when there have been people displaced and in need of assistance.
It's offering that assistance that Vernon finds the most rewarding.
"Sometimes we cry with them, sometimes we hold their hands," Vernon said of the disaster victims. "You do go through the emotions and stress and need to help them focus on what they need to do to get their lives back to normal. That's what's most gratifying. To see people at their wits’ end and knowing you can help them get focused on what they need to do."