Come volunteer with us!
We are looking for community members committed to equity and inclusion to volunteer with us. Our office uses the Targeted Universalism framework to help guide our work
Our volunteers are trained to do things such as:
- Provide emergency preparedness education to Multnomah County's diverse community through presentations, tabling events, neighborhood meetings, and special events.
- Create content and promote emergency preparedness and other relevant material on MCEM's web site and on social media, via Facebook and Twitter.
- Support Emergency Management staff through a variety of administrative tasks.
- Conduct research.
- Staff shelters/Disaster Resource Centers (DRCs). Initial training is online and can help you determine if this role is right for you.
Volunteer shifts generally take place during business hours but occasional evening and weekend shifts are also available and virtual work can be accomplished around any schedule.
To apply to be a volunteer, please fill out our form. Before becoming a volunteer, we will eventually need you to send a copy of your resume to em.dutyofficer@multco.us (Subject line: interested volunteer resume). If you do not already have a resume, Multnomah County Library has excellent resources, and a team ready to help you!
Positive enthusiasm, significant attention to detail, strong relationship skills, and basic writing and computer programs (Google docs, spreadsheets, Word, Powerpoint, Excel) are required. Different assignments may require different skills. Our team will help find the projects that work for you.
Emergency management is fast paced, often with many deadlines. As is true of many fields, emergency management also has its own language and frameworks. Having the ability to ask for and accept constructive feedback are vital characteristics. We all bring unique skills and experience, and emergency management requires constant learning. Please bring your willingness to contribute as well as your ability to take corrections in stride, our entire team is still learning also.
Internships
The County offers two internship programs that MCEM participates in:
- The Summerworks program is for interns ages 16 - 24. This paid internship provides interns with mentorship and training as they work on projects. Interns may work with a variety of MCEM team members, we help craft a assignments based on what interns want to learn. We are committed to providing emergency management experience and helping interns generate work samples that showcase strengths.
- The College to County program. This program is a Mentorship Program that provides college students of color and underrepresented communities with internships at Multnomah County. Students are selected for their solid academics and leadership potential. This is a 12 week paid internship that includes training with other interns as a cohort and provides interns an opportunity to gain the knowledge and abilities required to work at the county.