ARMED FORCES EMERGENCY SERVICES (AFES): Volunteers cover after office hours from their own homes. Potential clients are screened by the Secrephone Answering Service prior to the volunteer receiving any notice. The Answering service provides the client's name, telephone number, and general information regarding the request--i.e., birth of a serviceman's child, death of a close relative, etc. The volunteer prepares to make a return call - fact sheet, checks for general procedures in the manual, then telephones the client. After all the information is gathered, the volunteer telephones for verification. This may be completed with a doctor, floor nurse, an undertaker, law enforcement agency, etc. Training is required. The course requires approximately 2 ½ hours. QUALIFICATIONS: Patience, caring, good listener and an ability to cope. Confidentiality is a must. High school graduate. DISASTER RELIEF: Volunteers respond to local fires in their area. The services given at the disaster usually include: comforting the victims, providing blanket and comfort kits, checking to see if the victims have transportation available and shelter for the immediate future. The victims are also told what services are available from the Red Cross, i.e. clothing, shoes, groceries, shelter, etc. If the victims have no place to stay, Disbursing Orders are issued for a motel and restaurant as close to their home as possible at the scene. A business card is also given to the family with Red Cross telephone number and the disaster volunteer's telephone number. This allows the family to call at their convenience to make arrangements to meet in the office to receive their disbursing orders for making new purchases. In the event of a major disaster, all volunteers would be requested to assist. Some might do damage assessment, others would provide emergency family assistance, and still others would operate shelters. Training is required for all areas. Training must be done by National American Red Cross Instructors and is not available on a frequent basis. This chapter has offered the base level trainings on a once a year basis. Length of time varies according to training: four hours to sixteen hours. QUALIFICATIONS: Patience, caring, ability to handle crisis situations without losing sense of good judgment. Confidentiality is a must. High school graduate. BLOOD SERVICES: Volunteers provide assistance to paid staff from Syracuse in the blood collection at all mobile sites in Cortland County. Volunteers cover a "belt-line". RECEPTION - greets donors, ask questions, check in appointments, etc. CANTEEN - volunteer thanks donor for coming, serves juice & cookies, is cheerful and visits with donors. OBSERVER - volunteer stands at the end of the refreshment table to watch for donor reactions (whitening of face, bleeding from the donation site, conversation lessening - slow speech, etc.), cannot visit with donors so that volunteer can be alert to possible reaction at all times. Volunteers are needed to assist with telephone recruitment for ongoing blood drives - i.e. Cortland & Homer Community drivers every 56 days. DAY CHAIR - volunteer who is responsible for the day's blood drive. He/she coordinates all aspects of the drive - is there a volunteer at each station? Is there a driver scheduled to make a blood run to Rochester at the bloodmobile's mid-way and conclusion of bloodmobile? Are there loaders and unloaders available to assist Syracuse technicians with unloading the truck and setting up tables and chairs, etc. for the mobile? Is each volunteer trained and ready to serve in his position? He/she also prepares the paperwork needed for the Regional Blood Center and the chapter (volunteers' names, hours worked, number of donors, etc.) Training: New volunteers are often trained 30 minutes prior to the time they are scheduled to work by the volunteer serving at that station or the Day Chair. Many changes are taking place in the Blood Services program - training has been for all volunteers. Time requirement is 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours. QUALIFICATIONS: Cheerful, meticulous, good conversationalist, and in some areas, not queasy at the sight of blood. Need to be able to stand for long periods of time without discomfort. The Day Chair must be friendly, a people person, well-organized, good delegator, and able to cover stations during breaks or lunches. HEALTH & SAFETY SERVICES: Volunteers instruct CPR, First Aid, Back Injury Prevention, Babysitting, Water Safety, and Lifeguarding classes. Volunteers also serve on the Health and Safety Services Committee to recommend policy decisions regarding same to the Board of Directors. QUALIFICATIONS: Instructors must be 17 years of age. Instructor candidates must have current certification in their area of interest and take a four hour Introduction to Health and Safety Services, followed by 8 to 12 hours for their instructor level course for the majority of the categories, although water safety and lifeguard training instructors' courses take much longer (20 hrs. plus). EMERGENCY SERVICES PROGRAMS: Volunteers would meet with clients in the Red Cross office, taking general information, completing forms, verifying income and expenses. (Client should have been eligible-approved prior to the volunteer making the appointment to meet with the client). Training: Two hours to review the regulations of each program, paperwork required, and the client qualifications. QUALIFICATIONS: Good interviewing skills, good judgment, legible handwriting, and caring. Confidentiality is a must. High school graduate. OFFICE: Volunteers choose their best time of day of the week and volunteer as receptionist/typist/cashier at the front desk. Others assist on an as needed basis to do bulk mailings, post volunteer hours, do cash deposit, shred documents, clean manikins, work in files, stamp pamphlets and brochures, etc. Training varies depending on the task - time is 10 minutes to 1 hour. CRAFT FAIR: Volunteers serve in numerous capacities - mapping out crafters' booths, making signs, help with clean-up prior to the fair's opening (if needed), assist with moving in/out of tables and chairs, do telephone recruitment for bake sale, traffic control, parking lot duty, shuttle runs for crafters who are required to park off-site, elevator operators, serve as chairman of booth area for Red Cross and schedule volunteer coverage for the hours of the fair, provide sitting service at crafters' booths to allow them breaks, serve in the café, bake sale table or raffle table at the time of the fair. Individuals receive brief orientation to those areas prior to the beginning of their shift.