YAVAPAI COUNTY, Arizona. – As April comes to a close Yavapai County is proud to celebrate Global Volunteer Month by recognizing the vital contributions of our volunteers—and invites more residents to get involved in building safer, stronger communities.
Emergency management relies on volunteers year-round to support preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. We are actively seeking volunteers to join several of our specialized programs:
• Animal Disaster Services (ADS): Provides shelter and care for household pets during emergencies and offers emergency preparedness education to communities.
• Large Animal Shelter & Emergency Readiness (LASER): Shelters domestic livestock and barn animals such as horses, goats, and fowl during evacuations, while also promoting emergency preparedness education for animal owners.
• ARES/RACES: Ham radio volunteers who support emergency communications during disasters and planned events, monitor radio traffic to provide situational awareness to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), and help maintain critical communication capabilities when traditional systems are down.
• Medical Reserve Corps (MRC): Volunteers who assist public health efforts, including staffing phone banks, supporting vaccination events, and helping meet community medical needs during emergencies.
If you’re already a part of a volunteer organization, consider your having your organization join the Yavapai County’s Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD). The COAD brings together volunteers, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), faith-based organizations (FBOs), public safety agencies, private sector partners, and government agencies to strengthen community readiness and coordinate resources before, during, and after disasters.
“Volunteers are the heart of our emergency management programs,” said Ashley Ahlquist, Yavapai County Emergency Manager. “Whether you’re helping shelter animals, supporting communications during a wildfire, staffing a public information line, or providing community education, every volunteer makes a meaningful impact on our county’s resilience.”
Now is the perfect time to get involved! Volunteering not only helps your neighbors—it builds valuable skills and strengthens our communities from the ground up.
To learn more about volunteering opportunities or to sign up, please visit www.yavapaiready.gov/volunteer.
