First responders and EMTs are frequently the unsung and under-appreciated heroes who save lives every day throughout the country, dealing with all sorts of terrifying and depressing injuries and situations. However while these men and women are highly skilled and trained when it comes to stabilizing life and saving people, they aren’t trained when it comes to something that it arguably more difficult, caring for and comforting the relatives of those who have just died in accidents or at the hand of someone else. This is where a select group of volunteers come in. Calling themselves the Crisis Response Team, these men and women volunteer their time to comfort and help the relatives of the dead begin the process of moving on.
Frequently found at crime and accident scenes, the Crisis Response Team consists of men and women from all walks of life and communities with the greater Los Angeles area. Led by Joe Avalos, the Crisis Response Team is active at all hours of the day, volunteering their time and comfort to anyone anywhere at anytime. This team is the first of its kind in the city of Los Angeles, and maybe the entire country. There are plenty of responders for physical needs but there aren’t any to support and help those who are left behind when a loved one dies. While the team members do work on the sites of tragedies, they also work with families after the fact.
What does this post tragedy work entail? It can literally be anything and it usually is. Families who encounter tragedies like this are frequently shattered and find it difficult to function over the course of the next few weeks. The Crisis Response Team helps with everything from the actual act of comforting to calling schools to tell them that children won’t be coming in for the next few days, explaining the reasons so that the families don’t have to go through the trauma of reliving their experiences. These volunteers serve a vital role in helping communities overcome tragedy. They come in when the healing that’s needed isn’t medical, it’s emotional, mental, and spiritual. Hopefully more cities begin creating volunteer groups like LA has; the Crisis Response Team is a vital part of emergency services and there’s a serious lack of this kind of compassionate care around the country.
If you’d like to read more, the link is here.
