Wheatland County trains volunteers to serve in reception centres

By Laureen F. Guenther Times Contributor

Wheatland County has recently offered training for members of the public to volunteer in reception centres, which are set up when a critical need arises within the community.
The next, and final, training session will be held in the Wheatland County offices on March 1. Past training sessions were held in Standard and Gleichen in November, in Carseland and Rosebud in January, and in Hussar and Cheadle in February.
According to Lynn Walker, chief administrative officer for the Wheatland Family and Community Support Services (WFCSS), the sessions had a good turnout and participants engaged in good discussions.
Attendees learned what a reception centre is, why a reception centre is activated and who activates it, how to set up a reception centre, and the roles and responsibilities of reception centre staff.
“These training sessions, as well as the work we have done in providing reception centre kits and manuals that are standardized throughout the 12 reception sites allow our Wheatland County residents to be able to help out if the need arises, regardless of where they are in the county,” said Walker. “The duties and general concepts are the same for each site.”
By offering this training, WFCSS hopes to provide residents with sufficient knowledge and build their confidence to enable them to respond calmly in a crisis.
“It was proven during our recent wildfires that pre-training helps those directly involved,” said Walker. “The event runs more smoothly when people know what their duties are. The public can assume a role within the reception centre knowing that someone is managing who has some knowledge of duties and expectations.”
Walker encourages residents of Wheatland County to attend the session on March 1, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Wheatland County offices.