Emergency Preparedness Volunteers

Are you interested in volunteering with Knox County Health Department (KCHD)?  People interested in volunteering can join the Knox County Medical Reserve Corps (MRC). Volunteers with various backgrounds (medical and non-medical) may be needed to help during emergencies. KCHD volunteers may be asked to respond to a natural disaster, a large-scale disease outbreak, or man-made disaster. Depending on the type of emergency, volunteers may be tasked to perform different jobs. Again, some job functions require a medical background and some job functions do not.

During an event when volunteers are required to support public health functions, MRC Volunteers will be notified by our Volunteer Mobilizer, which is an alerting system that can be used to notify pre-registered volunteers of an event. A call for volunteers also may be made through the media (TV, radio, and newspaper). Directions on where to report for work assignments will be provided via the Volunteer Mobilizer and/or media outlets.  Once volunteers reach their assignment, they will receive “Just-In-Time” training for a specific task.

If you are interested in being a KCHD Medical Reserve Corps Volunteer when called upon, please register at: https://thanvolunteer.health.state.tn.us/VolunteerMobilizer/.  After registering, you will receive a notification that you have been approved as a MRC Volunteer. Periodically, you will receive test alerts of the system. KCHD also will offer MRC members newsletters, updates, and training opportunities. KCHD is a partner with the Knoxville Chapter of the American Red Cross for emergency response; therefore, Knox County MRC members may be provided volunteer opportunities with the American Red Cross. If you have any questions, please feel free to call or e-mail our Volunteer Coordinator at 215-5093 or vol.coordinator@knoxcounty.org.

More information is also available in our Education and Training section; there you will find two slide presentations and associated quizzes covering public health’s role in emergencies, and overviews of bioterrorism agents, the Strategic National Stockpile and Point of Dispensing Site operations. In addition to these training resources, links to other emergency preparedness resources can be found in the Education and Training Section.