Unpaid helpers bolster ranks of public safety agencies
Feeling the desire to give back to the community by offering emergency services? A number of public safety agencies and nonprofits can always use volunteers.
POLICE SUPPORT SERVICES
The Metropolitan Police Department Volunteer Program provides police support services. Volunteers are nonconfrontational with the public and do not carry weapons.
Verbal communication and problem-solving skills are important qualities. Candidates must work at least one four-hour shift per week, pass background checks and be 18 or older. Those who want to volunteer for handicap parking enforcement must be 21 or older.
To apply for the Metro Volunteer Program, visit tinyurl.com/metropdvolunteers. For more information, email s5068h@lvmpd.com or call 702-828-5609.
ENSURING SAFETY AT COUNTY PARKS
The Clark County Park Police strive to ensure the public’s safety in more than 110 parks and recreational facilities in the valley.
Officers provide security and have face-to-face interactions with the public to develop a rapport. Park police also assist with community service projects, such as speaking to students for career days, conducting bicycle maintenance clinics and leading programs related to a variety of safety issues.
For more information, visit tinyurl.com/ccparkpolice or call 702-455-7532.
PROTECTING MOUNT CHARLESTON
About 30 volunteers make up the Mount Charleston Volunteer Fire Department, which was founded in 1961. They are the first responders for medical, brush or structural incidents in the Kyle Canyon, Lee Canyon and Deer Creek areas.
The group trains through the Clark County Fire Department, whose training facility is at 4425 W. Tropicana Ave.
“It’s a lot more involved than just showing up and riding on a truck,” said Larry Haydu, assistant chief for the Clark County Fire Department. “There are about 128 hours of training they have to go through.”
For more information, visit tinyurl.com/ccfiredepartment.
HELPING IN TIMES OF TRAUMA
The Trauma Intervention Program of Southern Nevada is a nonprofit dedicated to providing emotional and practical support for those who are emotionally traumatized during emergency situations. TIP volunteers assist family members, witnesses and other bystanders on the scene during emergency response.
Volunteers must be 17 or older, have a clean driving record and have no criminal history. Becoming a volunteer requires 36 hours of training, a three-month field-training program and three-hour continued education classes once per month.
For more information, visit tipoflasvegas.org.
FIGHTING SEXUAL ASSAULT
The Rape Crisis Center has many opportunities for volunteers.
The center needs volunteers 21 or older to assist in responding to sexual assault victims 24/7. Volunteers also assist the center’s staff in answering crisis calls around the clock, represent the center at community outreach and educational events, educate nightclub security personnel on how to identify sexual assault, educate young women on avoiding high-risk situations and help with fundraising.
Kellie Phillips said she volunteers to raise awareness about sexual assault.
“Things that are socially acceptable should not be socially acceptable,” Phillips said. “I just feel the more people who spread that word, things can change.”
Volunteers undergo 50 hours of training over a five-week period and must commit to a minimum of six months of volunteer service and at least six hours per week on call.
There are two trainings per year, with the next one scheduled in the spring.
For more information, visit therapecrisiscenter.org or call 702-385-2153.
RESPONDING TO DISASTERS
The American Red Cross is composed of 97 percent volunteers nationwide. In Southern Nevada, its volunteers total about 687. They respond to disasters every 19 hours, on average. The incidents are usually home fires.
Volunteers work in a variety of capacities, including disaster response, cardiopulmonary resuscitation instructors, community education instructors, blood drive administrators, health fair representatives, photographers and videographers.
Volunteers must undergo a background check and preliminary training. Specialty training also is required, depending on the types of volunteer services being provided. Serving meals in a shelter, for example, requires learning restaurant-grade food preparation guidelines.
For more information, visit redcross.org/nv/las-vegas/volunteer.
HELPING ABUSED WOMEN
The Shade Tree has been providing shelter to homeless and abused women and children in crisis since 1990, and the organization relies heavily on volunteers.
“We have 20 to 40 volunteers here most of the time,” Shade Tree volunteer coordinator Jovan Trevino said. “There are more here on the weekend and around the holidays. We rely on them for activities and so many things that go on here. For instance, 90 percent of our life skills and education classes are taught by volunteers.”
The nonprofit’s mission is to offer life-changing services promoting stability, dignity and self-reliance for its clients, and that includes required classes and ensuring that women who leave a dangerous home situation don’t have to leave their pets behind.
“We have volunteers in Noah’s Animal House helping to walk dogs and cleaning kennels,” Trevino said. “It’s mostly dogs and cats, but we have all kinds of animals there, including reptiles and horses.”
Some volunteers also foster animals for the clients.
“We need help in the kitchens,” Trevino said. “We need food servers. We need help in our children’s activity center and in our development assisting for the ladies, helping them with resumes and job applications and helping them with their attire for the interviews.”
Medical professionals lend a hand with off-site health clinics and a center for eyeglasses.
For more information, visit theshadetree.org.
View staff writer F. Andrew Taylor contributed to this story.
Contact Summerlin Area View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 702-387-2949.
