POCATELLO — The Salvation Army Pocatello Outpost is looking for volunteers interested in serving regional communities in the event a significant disaster strikes.

Boasting the Salvation Army’s only mobile kitchen, or canteen, in the state aside from one that’s over seven hours away in the Idaho panhandle, the primary function of the local Emergency Disaster Services, or EDS, teams would involve feeding and offering emotional care to victims and first responders.

“We are looking for men and women of all backgrounds to assist us when tragedy strikes,” said Bill Costello, the Salvation Army’s EDS coordinator for Bannock County. “We will train and certify all volunteers so that when the time comes they will be able to do the most good.”

The only qualifications needed to volunteer for the Pocatello EDS teams is that individuals need to be able to pass a background check and have a desire to help those in need, Costello said.

The Salvation Army’s first disaster response was created in Galveston, Texas, after the 1900 hurricane that devastated that city. After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the Salvation Army was the first organization to render care to victims, despite the fact that they had lost 75 percent of its own facilities in the quake. Since that time, the Salvation Army has been a fixture at disasters both big and small to try and care for the needs of victims.

Capt. Ernie Evans of the Salvation Army Pocatello Outpost says that the EDS teams will not chase big events but will go wherever the Salvation Army is asked to help. He envisions examples of regional disasters being wildfires, flooding and potentially earthquakes.

He said EDS teams will work to feed people that are affected and provide emotional support.

“Really what we do is two-fold,” he said. “We tend to handle the food for most major disasters. Us and the Southern Baptists take care of 90 percent of the food supplies for big disasters. And then we also do emotional and spiritual care. That really just involves people being there for those that are affected and giving them someone to talk to and to lean on during that trying time.”

Evans continued, “We tend to be long term caregivers. While the American Red Cross may be at a disaster for 9 to 10 days, the Salvation Army is there for the next six months.”

The first training event for EDS volunteers is scheduled during an open house set from noon to 6 p.m. on May 20 at the Salvation Army building located at 400 North Fourth Avenue in Pocatello.

In addition to the Salvation Army there will be booths from SERVPRO, AmeriCorps, Bannock County Disaster Management and the Pocatello Fire Department.

Any other organizations that respond in a disaster that would like to be a part of this event are encouraged to contact The Salvation Army for a spot. Lunch and dinner will be served and prepared in our mobile kitchen as a demonstration of the disaster response operation.

This training will qualify those that take the course to be able to respond to critical incidents to feed and offer emotional care to victims and first responders.

“We have seen a big interest from our community in wanting to help with this program, so we wanted to get our first Introduction to the Salvation Army EDS scheduled as soon as possible,” Costello said. “This event will showcase what we do in a disaster and how volunteers can

help.”

The public will be able to start the process of becoming an EDS volunteer by filling out the needed paperwork and to sign up for future classes directly at the training event.

Evans says he expects to create about three to five teams that consist of about six to eight people per team for a total of about 40 volunteers.

“We do it in layers, where we have people who are solely cooks, and then we have go-betweens who are people that are handing out the food and serve as more of a support staff role, cleaning and what not,” Evans said. “Lastly, we have the emotional and spiritual support folks, who are more willing to listen, smile and chat.”

Anyone interested in attending the training on May 20, any future courses or would like more information should contact EDS coordinator Bill Costello by calling 208-705-1882, or sending an email to pocatello.eds@gmail.com Pre-registration is not required but is encouraged.