What We Need

This page is for a basic list of things that the Auxiliary can use. Not everyone is up to volunteering for field deployment or working a disaster site, but everyone can help out. For volunteering, see the Volunteer page. We will try to keep this page updated as our needs change; if you see something you can provide or want to be involved with, contact us.
Non-Disaster Related Services

  • Website work and hosting. We use a GoogleApps site for internal staff document sharing and a public-facing Drupal CMS. Competent programming and document help would be appreciated. We are interested in moving the site to a local hosting facility.
  • Document and graphic design (flyers, brochures, etc); printing and binding services for class materials.
  • Custom embroidery (unit patches, tee-shirts, jackets, etc); we end up with a lot of embroidery for dress uniforms and can provide vector or raster images for embroidery machines.
  • Food services for in the field for ourselves, the Sheriff's Office, and other volunteers during emergency deployment. Coffee and water/drinks can be extremely helpful to volunteers in the field.
  • Crash space for volunteers (and possibly Deputies) overnight during emergency deployment. We will maintain a list of people/facilities willing to find something close to a worksite in an emergency. Notice may be short.
  • Places to conduct training/classes. As a rule, our classes are available to the general public as well.
  • Sites for conducting exercise, use as staging areas during disaster, or for forward-deployment (camp sites). Our goal is to have a list of places scattered around the county so we can choose something close to a disaster as needed. Staging areas simply require a parking lot with good road access and, preferably, a source of gravity-fed or otherwise disaster-proof water for filling carboys (we have hydrant tool and hose). We may need to pitch tents or portable shelters for equipment/storage at the staging area for the duration of a disaster. It should be noted that places used for staging areas will probably get some extra attention for clearing and emergency communications during a weather-related emergency.

Equipment

  • Clothing and uniforms (e.g. logoed jackets); see also Custom Embroidery entry above.
  • Safety equipment, including: hard hats, M-95 masks and respirators, orange vests, knee pads, gloves, flashlights, road-side flares, rain gear.
  • Radios: we use Part 90 (Public Service/Business Class) VHF/UHF radios, GMRS (467 mhz), and Amateur Radio equipment (70cm/2m); programmable Business Class radios can normally be reprogrammed for our use, so if your business is upgrading or replacing radios, we are interested. Our preferred radios for GMRS are Midland GXT-1000, GXT-5000, or Midland Basecamp radios primarily because they are waterproof and very durable on a disaster site but still relatively inexpensive. Headsets, antennas, feedline and so forth also much appreciated. Multi-band (receive-only) emergency radios are also useful. Excess equipment we receive will be used to assist Neighborhood Watch and CERT activities.
  • Packs and camping gear; Tents, sleeping bags, cots, lighting and cooking gear (we use LP for a number of purposes); Any excess will be used for community shelters or CERT.
  • Medical/First Aid equipment, including first aid kits, masks, CPR barriers, etc.
  • Emergency power equipment, including deep-cycle, disposable, or rechargable batteries, solar panels and chargers/concentrators, generators, inverters, gas, diesel, or LP containers in operable condition.
  • Easy-assemble sheds or structure kits, equipment trailers, RV/campers in good condition.
  • Folding tables, chairs, stools and etc., for event or disaster-site use or arrangements to borrow on short notice.
  • Potable water carboys and containers.
  • Tools and building materials, especially on short notice for disaster use (e.g. putting up temporary shelters).