Email from Eileen Grant Re: THANK YOU to ESS Volunteers

THANK YOU!

Good morning everyone - It is the first day of September and some would argue of Fall and the last day for the ESS Call Centre as we have known it since the middle of July. Over that time, ESS volunteers have answered as many as 150 calls per 8-hour shift, 7 days a week. Some of the calls were easy, but many of them were complicated and heart breaking. Over the last 6 or 7 weeks, over 40 volunteers from 7 local ESS teams have put their names forward to help. For some the timing didn’t work. Others were deployed to the field. But 29 took a shift, and many of those became seasoned operators.

There has never been a call centre quite like this set up and we learned together. There were some rough patches, but it worked. It worked primarily because we had a dedicated group of non-paid professionals, who knew their stuff, were able to think on the fly and never lost their empathy. It was the easiest event I have ever had to staff – I would put out the call for a scheduling period and the response was immediate. I usually put together a 2 week schedule in 1 or 2 days. People showed up when they said they would, or let me know in plenty of time to find an alternate. It was a walk in the park.

The phones will still ring, but much less often and Deborah and Cindy will be available to answer them.

THANK YOU to everyone who came forward.

I know that some felt they should be doing more, not “just sitting in an office answering phones”. You may never truly know the value you added to the PECC and to the response to this disaster, but know that is was considerable.

It has been my pleasure to work with you all. Your teams are very fortunate to have you.

There is always a little business to tend to when you are deactivating:

Have you completed your Expense Reimbursement Request forms to claim for your mileage? http://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/public-safety-and-emergency-services/emergency-preparedness-response-recovery/embc/forms/pslv_expense_reimbursement_request.pdf If you didn’t leave your completed forms in the red folder, mail it to EMBC, PO Box 9201, Stn Prov Govt, Victoria V8W 9J1, Attention: Kulpreet Munde, ESS Specialist.
Have you sent in your Exit Interview questionnaire? We will also be doing a face-to-face debriefing session. We will let you know the date, time and place as soon as we have it. Your feedback will help make it easier the next time.

Remember to take care of yourself. This is very stressful work and it takes a toll on even the strongest. You’ve been to all the courses and you’ve heard all the advice. Now is the time to put your learning into action. Do what it takes to stay healthy. Exercise. Keep yourself hydrated and nourished. Get a good night’s sleep. Talk when you need to – maybe it’s just to family or friends over coffee or during a walk. Maybe you need to talk to a professional. Go to your team leader and ask for help. The effects of keeping it all inside and unacknowledged are the same as an infection left to fester. Do what it takes to stay well - soon.

You have done important work. Thank you again.

Take care, Eileen

Eileen A. Grant, Supervisor ESS Call Centre Email: egrant@oakbay.ca Phone: 250.592.9121 ext. 7504 Website: oakbay.ca/

DISCLAIMER: This e-mail may contain proprietary information, some or all of which may be legally privileged. It is for the intended recipient only. If an addressing or transmission error has misdirected this e-mail, please notify the author by replying to this e-mail. If you are not the intended recipient you must not use, disclose, distribute, copy, print or reply on this e-mail.