The American Red Cross Central Georgia Chapter is reaching out to the 13 counties it covers for volunteers to undergo disaster relief training and eventually assist with disaster services in Central Georgia and around the state.

That’s according to a press release issued by Ryan Logan, director of emergency services with the Central Georgia Red Cross Chapter in Macon.

“Right now we have no volunteers in Washington County, none in Jasper County and none in Peach County, and only a few in Wilkinson County. Basically we need volunteers to build a stronger disaster relief roster and to help with the continued growth, and have volunteers to respond to disasters in the individual jurisdictions,” Logan said.

The Central Georgia American Red Cross Chapter provides services to Baldwin, Bibb, Crawford, Hancock, Jones, Jasper, Monroe, Peach, Putnam, Taylor, Twiggs, Washington and Wilkinson counties, according to the chapter’s official Web site at www.centralga-redcross.org.

With Baldwin County and the Oconee Valley American Service Center on North Jefferson Street falling under that list, it’s important to remember the local chapter that serves five of those counties — Baldwin, Putnam, Hancock, Washington and Wilkinson — according to OVRC Director Billie Brown.

“We need to recruit and train volunteers now to ensure that we’ll be adequately prepared the next time disaster strikes,” Brown said. “Disaster training is free to all volunteers who agree to help with casework in the area, including weather-related damage and fires.”

To help find the latest group of volunteers, the OVRC is assisting the Central Georgia ARC Chapter in promoting a disaster volunteer orientation that will be held Aug. 14 at the Central Georgia Chapter’s Macon headquarters, 195 Holt Ave., from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

“It’s an ongoing thing in that we get good volunteers invested for a year, and then they put in some time with the Red Cross, but people eventually start becoming burned out after about three to four years,” Brown said. “People want to have a change. We haven’t personally had any resignations yet, but those that we have on our response roster certainly need help. It’s getting worse because people have been working extra hard in the last few years with the large amount of fires and weather disasters that have occurred.”

Figures available from the Central Georgia Chapter for 2007 show a total of 27 fire cases responded to by ARC personnel in Baldwin County; 114 in Bibb; 10 in Crawford; 21 in Hancock; two in Jasper; 10 in Jones; 14 in Monroe; 12 in Peach; five in Putnam; four in Taylor; seven in Twiggs; 19 in Washington and five in Wilkinson.

In area tornado relief, the Central Georgia ARC Chapter reported responses to one case in Bibb County, 61 in Crawford County, eight in Taylor County and three in Wilkinson County.

Central Georgia Chapter Disaster Volunteers also opened two shelters, operated three Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs) that delivered 1,796 meals and 3,263 snacks, while 10 Mass Care Operations related to apartment fires were also reported in 2007.

“The orientation session on August 14 is an invitation for anyone who may have been thinking of looking to do something meaningful with their lives. People who feel ready that night can sign up for the training, and how the training schedule operates will be based on the number of people who sign up,” Brown said. “We’ve probably got about 30 OVRC members involved with our own Disaster Action Team (DAT) roster, but it usually ends up being the same 10 or 12 people for each month that are on call for response.”

It’s a striking revelation that Logan, who has been on the job since June, hopes to help change over the next year.

“My ultimate goal would be to have the number of our total volunteers doubled by the end of the calendar year,” Logan said Wednesday. “What I’m trying to do is systemize and create a good process to bring in and keep volunteers interested from the beginning. People may not understand what goes into a large disaster response.”

Those who attend the Aug. 14 orientation and express interest in continuing an affiliation with the American Red Cross and its Disaster Relief services will undergo training in areas such as mass care, shelter operations and damage assessment, according to Logan.

“We do plan to increase our training calendar, but I can’t say for sure how that will work out just yet. Right now we are planning to hold additional volunteer orientation programs in the near future, but we are still examining dates for those as well. We need more manpower to create depth in leadership and we need more people that are ready to step in and assist others.”