Training New Volunteers in Inyo and Mono Counties

While many know that the Greater Los Angeles chapter is the second largest Red Cross chapter in the country, few know that the chapter also covers Inyo and Mono Counties, including the cities of Bishop and Mammoth Lakes. Safe Corps member Jennifer Lazo travelled to both counties for four days to provide trainings to local volunteers and attend county emergency planning meetings. Fourteen new volunteers were trained to open and run shelters in Mammoth Lakes, and five volunteers in Bishop were taught the introductory disaster course, Disaster Services: An Overview. All volunteers were enthusiastic about continuing to learn from the Red Cross, and hope to work on updating shelter and vendor agreements in the area. Along with Agreements Specialist Alex Rose, Jennifer also attended the Unified Command meetings of both Inyo and Mono counties, where she got to meet emergency officials from around the state and learn about the winter storm plans in place for the area. Pictured is the class of new shelter workers in Mammoth Lakes in front of the (donated) Red Cross hummer.