The vision of the Emergency Services Volunteers of McHenry County is to train volunteers to assist the McHenry County Emergency Management Agency respond to or recover from the impacts of disasters and emergency situations in McHenry County and beyond. The volunteers can be utilized for preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation efforts in various capacities. The volunteers support activities that include, but are not limited to:
Ground Search and Rescue – missing/lost persons, walk-away elderly persons, crime scene preservation, evidence searches, ground search techniques, lost persons support at community events and search incident management.
Mass Care – protection of evacuees and other disaster victims, coordination of temporary shelters for humans and pets, food/mass feeding operations, distribution of emergency supplies; medical care, clothing, and other essential life support needs, family reunification support.
Communications & Weather – support communications needs in the event of a local or countywide communications failure with ability to set-up and staff a temporary communications network (voice and data); supporl community events (parades, fairs) real-time information on inclement weather/weather spotting; perform and provide post-storm initial damage assessment reports. The communications are provided by licensed Amateur Radio Operators and other volunteers using public service radios.
Rehab Support – support on-scene rehabilitation of first responders thru rest, re-hydration, and medical evaluation as well as providing provisions to protect personnel from inclement weather elements.
Support Division – ensure McHenry County Emergency Management Agency vehicles, trailers, and generators are available and operational thru regular maintenance, maintenance of radios and equipment for the team, providing and maintaining safety clothing and equipment for the team.