1,001 volunteer hours: Flagler County Assist REACT reports that 2015 was a busy year

You’ve seen the REACT team wearing their orange vests at events throughout the county. Contact them now and get a vest of your own.

By Observer Staff
| 11:53 a.m. February 11, 2016

Eric Pickering gets instructions from volunteer coordinator Chuck Krug at a practice drill. Krug has since retired. Courtesy photo

REACT member, Doug Heywood directs traffic during Fourth of July celebration in Flagler Beach. Courtesy photo

REACT members attend a traffic briefing prior to the fireworks details at a Flagler Beach Fourth of July celebration. Courtesy photo

Palm Coast Observer
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Information provided from a news release from Flagler County REACT

Flagler County Assist REACT had a busy, and progressive, year in 2015.

The 22-member REACT organization volunteered a collective 1,001 hours, and worked 105 functions in 2015. The busiest and most challenging of the event was the Fourth of July in Flagler Beach. The event involves REACT volunteers assisting with traffic control, security, social media, weather monitoring and logistics. As part of the effort, REACT’s members worked side by side with law enforcement and emergency services to help make it a safe event.

Most of REACT activities involve training. A weekly radio network using the General Mobile Radio Service, tests equipment, but also brings in other organizations such as CERT Teams on the same communications channel to share news, and test equipment. In addition every other monthly meeting of the Team is dedicated to training, to keep the organization sharp and ready, when emergencies or public assistance requests arise.

All members are certified Skywarn spotters, and activated weather spotter networks 27 times in 2015. Through those networks there were five reports of severe weather, meeting the criteria that were relayed to the National Weather Service. These reports help the NWS issue faster warnings or reinforce existing ones. REACT maintains an on call spotter coordinator, who is responsible for activation, when storms threaten. This program has been very successful over the past three years.

The REACT Team also continued to be progressive. In 2015 a Social Media team was activated, and started using social media recources as part of communications capabilities. There were several instances of REACT using their social media capabilities to assist Emergency Management and Law Enforcement.

Other events and functions included 19 public service events, 3 search requests, and providing a landing zone support to the FireFlight Helicopter for a special event.

REACT Members pay their own dues, and supply their own equipment. REACT is always in need of volunteers. To learn more about Flagler County Assist REACT visit the website at www.react4800.org or www.facebook.com/FlaglerCountyAssist.