NOTICE: MRC VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT FOR ELITE SPECIAL OPERATIONS TASK FORCE UNIT

David Grizzle, Director, City of Norman Office of Emergency Management and SRT, Inc. are seeking approximately 20 volunteers for an elite special operations task force unit. This unit will be trained and equipped to provide emergency medical and PFA services and back-up to OEM personnel as well as National Weather Service personnel in Cleveland County in the immediate aftermath of disaster. Preference will be given to 1) licensed health and mental health care volunteers; 2) MRC volunteers with a military, law enforcement, or other first responder background; 3) MRC volunteers who are ARRL radio operator licensed; and 4) MRC volunteers who have deployment experience and/or have completed the OKMRC Disaster Team Leader training.

Volunteers need to be physically fit and able to travel on foot across difficult terrain, including both rural wilderness areas as well as devastated urban areas. Unique training will include aspects of both SARS (search and rescue training), cross-country orienteering, and physical damage assessment. However, the sole focus of our task force teams will be to provide health and PFA services to deployed select first responders as described above. Volunteers need to commit to making every effort to deploy in Cleveland County (this includes Moore and Norman) in the event of a request from federal or local authorities as per established OKMRC policies and procedures. Finally, it is recommended that team members live in, or very near, the Cleveland County area.