The inevitable arrival of volunteers in crisis environments is a challenge in regards to following doctrine and protocols of official responder units.  The agility, resources, familiarity of area and flexibility of these convergent volunteer responder groups can compliment to the official group's rigid structures.  While rigid (official org) protocols are well suited to maintaining order and outcome goal operations in emergent crisis situations, flexibility of volunteers can often extend official capability resources and provide familiarity and discovery that rigid orgs are not suited or missioned for.  (Example: local bulldozer operators able to help clear debris, etc.)

Trust between officials and volunteers can be, and often is, a challenge as both groups operate from complimentary, but very different strengths as mentioned above.   Official orgs confidence in volunteer groups, to append rather than disrupt official org operations, is a key to a healthy and holistic effort from all sides of the response cycle.

Orienting these different responder groups to grading data artifacts as privacy sensitive as well as grading means by which that data is most efficiently and securely delivered is likely an area where protocols may be helpful - therefore the Tip Sheet.

This is a current focus of my time regarding the First Responder Tip Sheet

- Jeff O