Volunteer Programs
Emergency Management Volunteers
The EM Volunteers program is designed to enhance the delivery of emergency management services to the residents of Lee County. This program provides a wide array of volunteer service including internships, office assistance and other opportunities relating to the four phases of emergency management: preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation. Fill out the Emergency Management Volunteer Application form online. For more information, call Emergency Management at (239) 533-3622.
Community Emergency Response Team
CERT is a training program that prepares people to help themselves, their families and their neighbors in the event of a disaster in their community. CERT members learn about disaster preparedness and receive training in basic disaster response skills such as fire safety, light search and rescue, and disaster medical operations. With CERT training, you can provide critical support by giving immediate assistance to victims before emergency first responders arrive on scene. CERT members also support the community year-round by participating in community preparedness outreach activities and distributing materials on disaster preparedness and education. For more information, call Emergency Management at (239) 533-3622.
Amateur Radio Emergency Service
Dedicated to being here for the citizens of Lee County, Florida, A.R.E.S. volunteers work under the direction of the Lee County Emergency Operations Center staff for those times when disaster strikes. While Lee County has state of the art communications systems, it is considered prudent to have a second communications network in time of extreme problems and to provide a back-up method of communication should the primary system become incapacitated. For more information, call (239) 368-2552 or visit the Fort Myers Amateur Radio Club website.
Medical Reserve Corps (MRC)
The South West Florida MRC is designed to bring together practicing and retired healthcare professionals from a diversity of fields, including physicians, nurses, hospital and public health workers, mental health experts, and other medical professions as well as all other persons interested in public health issues. Whether it’s a medical emergency, or a natural or man-made disaster, these volunteers are ready to support local emergency and public health agencies. For more information, call (239) 461-6109 or visit the South West Florida Medical Reserve Corps website.
Lee County Sheriff’s V.O.I.C.E.
Volunteer Observers Impacting Community Effort (more commonly known as VOICE), is comprised of concerned citizens who care about their community and are dedicated to helping the Sheriff’s Office provide a higher level of service to its citizens and visitors. The primary function of VOICE volunteers is neighborhood patrol but a variety of non-confrontational duties can be performed such as assisting with traffic control, finger printing, and crowd patrol for lost children and medical emergencies. If you have 16 hours per month that you can give to your community, please call the Lee County Sheriff’s Volunteer Office at (239) 477-1422 or visit the Lee County Sheriff’s VOICE website.
Other Agencies
In addition to the volunteer programs described above, there are many other volunteer opportunities available in Lee County. If you are interested, try these volunteer organizations: