The Del Norte Office of Emergency Services and local Red Cross chapter Saturday will show residents what it takes to set up, run and close an emergency shelter.

Red Cross Disaster Shelter Training will include classroom and hands-on sessions, Emergency Services Manager Kymmie Scott told the Wild Rivers Outpost on Tuesday. This includes setting up regular and bariatric cots, figuring out how they should be spaced out and other guidelines and procedures to follow when setting up a shelter.

“We’ve got the potential, obviously, to have several shelters set up if we have a large event,” Scott said. “Especially if we have an event that isolated communities, like if we had a large earthquake that took bridges out, so we had to have shelters in separate communities.”

Scott became the emergency services manager in May, taking the position over when Cindy Henderson retired. She said her office will hold several trainings that are free or “as-close-to-free.”

“Having people shelter trained doesn’t mean you have to join the Red Cross,” Scott said. “You can just come as an individual, get this training and be on call if we need help setting up shelters. We just need more people that have this training.”

Red Cross Disaster Shelter Training will be held from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday at the Crescent City Fire and Rescue’s Washington Headquarters, 255 Washington Boulevard in Crescent City.

Scott said people should bring a notebook and wear comfortable clothes. She also asks that people RSVP by calling (707) 464-7255 or emailing kymmie.scott@co.del-norte.ca.us.

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