saster, it is heartwarming to see an army of volunteers trying to help victims recover. These volunteers do a significant amount of work: They clear debris from roads, move food and other supplies to accessible areas and offer words of kindness in moments of despair. Many of them, such as those working for the Red Cross, are specifically trained for their tasks. Some, however, arrive on the scene without any preparation. A recent study suggests that these untrained volunteers may not be as helpful in disaster situations as we would like to believe. In fact, because these untrained volunteers often act spontaneously, they might even harm the relief efforts.
This untrained volunteer problem is evident in disaster cleanup efforts. While a lot of natural debris can be cleared easily, some obstacles, such as boulders that weigh several tons, require special tools or methods of removal. Most volunteers do not have proper cleanup training and therefore should avoid difficult situations for safety reasons. Despite their good intentions, unexperienced volunteers could increase the risk of post-disaster injuries or end up complicating the disaster relief efforts.
Lauren Sauer, a research associate at Hopkins, studied reports from nongovernment volunteer organizations (NVOs) about incidents of untrained volunteers. These NVOs were surveyed anonymously. Of the 24 organizations that responded, 19 stated that untrained volunteers had helped their relief efforts. While most organizations said that the volunteers provided a significant contribution, about half of them admitted that there had been injuries due to the lack of training. Furthermore, two deaths related to a lack of volunteer training were reported.
Of the 24 organizations, eight expressed an acceptance of legal liability for spontaneous volunteers. This removes responsibility from the organizations in the event of an injury or of death among untrained helpers. Only four organizations said that they were involved in lawsuits because of the injuries sustained during the relief effort.
The survey also examined the training these NVOs provided for spontaneous volunteers. Thirteen NVOs reportedly trained volunteers as they showed up to help. Only two organizations selectively chose volunteers with prior training. Only one NVO conducted background checks.
Although volunteers are indispensable to natural disaster relief efforts, this study demonstrates that training is necessary for these volunteers to offer useful help. Although the study noticeably highlights problems of volunteering, it did not seek to discourage civilians from helping. Rather, the study sought to motivate disaster relief organizations to provide better training to volunteers.
