• Thad Hicks

The ALM Division Hosts Interagency Liaison Training

Jackson, MS (April 14, 2015) - The Alabama-Louisiana-Mississippi (ALM) Division of The Salvation Army hosted a joint Red Cross & Salvation Army liaison training at the EDS Center in Jackson MS Tuesday. 

This new course written by both The Salvation Army and The Red Cross was designed to prepare the organization’s employees and volunteers to serve as local, county, state, or even Federal level liaisons for their respective organizations.  In addition to learning how to interact with government and voluntary partners, the participant’s examined the role of the Emergency Operations Center during a disaster.

A liaison is the person that works to connect with different organizations to communicate and coordinate their activities. This is especially vital during disasters as organizations work to assist those in need without missing any group or area.  Generally, liaisons are used to achieve the best use of resources or services of one organization by another.  Liaisons also work to achieve mutual understanding among groups.  The Salvation Army recognizes that the response work during a disaster requires partnerships, as “many hands make light work.”  The role of the liaison is very important as this allows the communication between organizations to be clear and concise.  According to ALM Interagency Liaison, Bill Feist, “It makes sense that we would train with The Red Cross since we are two of the largest non-profits active in disaster work, and we do so much work with them.”

In addition to the full day at training at the ALM EDS Center, participants will spend half a day at the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) receiving specialized training for work within the state EOC.

The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in London in 1865. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster survivors, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless, and opportunities for underprivileged children.  82 cents of every dollar The Salvation Army spends is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide.