Chapter 10, Train and practice¶
Training as investment, not chore¶
A club in which no member is trained in first aid is a club that will watch an injured person wait for the firefighters. A club whose treasurer does not master the GMS is a club that will leave 25,000 USD of Disaster Response Grant on the table. A club that has never tested its emergency plan is a club that will discover its flaws the day it is too late to fix them.
You are professionals. You know you do not fly a plane without a simulator, you do not plead without preparation, you do not launch a product without tests. Disaster response follows the same logic. Training is not a bonus, it is the foundation.
This chapter organizes training along two axes: individual skills (what each member must know) and collective drill (what the club must practice together).
Annual club training calendar¶
Integrate disaster training into the club's normal calendar. Not in addition, in place of a classic meeting. Four slots per year are enough to maintain a solid level of preparedness.
| Month | Activity | Duration | Audience | Responsible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | Start-of-year briefing: presentation of the club's emergency plan, update of member sheets, appointment of DRC roles | 45 min (club meeting) | All members | Disaster Coordinator |
| November | First aid training, group session | 7-10h (weekend) | All volunteers (target: 50% of the club) | Red Cross or certified provider |
| February | Tabletop exercise, disaster scenario | 30-45 min (club meeting) | All members | Coordinator + President |
| May | Participation in a municipal civil protection drill OR PFA training | According to the drill | Coordinator + 3-5 members | Coordinator |
Adaptation according to club size and resources¶
| Club size | Minimum training per year | Recommended training |
|---|---|---|
| < 20 members | 1 start-of-year briefing + 1 tabletop exercise | Add 1 group first aid training |
| 20-40 members | Full calendar above | Add participation in municipal drill |
| > 40 members | Full calendar + sub-group training | Add GMS session for 5 members, PFA training |
The four essential trainings¶
1. First aid (PSC1 / BLS)¶
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Content | Life-saving gestures: cardiac arrest (CPR + defibrillator), bleeding, choking, fainting, burns, trauma |
| Duration | 7-10 hours (1-2 days) |
| Providers | Red Cross, Civil Protection, fire departments, certified providers |
| Cost | 50-80 EUR per person. Negotiate a group rate for 10+ participants, most providers will travel. |
| Refresher | Every 2 years |
| Club target | 50% of members trained minimum |
Why it is critical: In a major disaster, emergency services are overwhelmed. The average intervention delay goes from 10 minutes to several hours, even days. A Rotarian trained in first aid can keep someone alive during that window. Without training, they are a helpless bystander.
Concrete action: Organize a group session in November. The club funds the training (internal service action). Invite members' spouses, they will be the first concerned at home. Reserve a Saturday, organize lunch, make it a club event.
2. Psychological First Aid (PFA)¶
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Content | A three-step approach: Look (observe without judging), Listen (empathetic presence), Link (direct to resources). What PFA is NOT: psychotherapy, psychological debriefing, empty phrases like "it will be fine". |
| Duration | 4-8 hours (basic training) |
| Providers | Red Cross, WHO (free online module), universities, specialized associations |
| Cost | Free (WHO online module) to 100 EUR |
| Refresher | Annual recommended |
| Club target | Coordinator + communications lead + 3-5 volunteer members |
Why it is critical: the vast majority of disaster victims undergo a psychological shock; post-disaster studies show that 30 to 40% develop acute stress, and some develop PTSD. Most do not need a psychologist, but a trained human presence that knows how to listen without judging, direct without diagnosing. You are leaders used to human contact. PFA is your natural extension.
Free WHO module: Available in English on the OpenWHO platform. Duration: 4 hours, self-paced, certificate issued. URL: openwho.org (search for "Psychological First Aid").
3. CERT, Community Emergency Response Team¶
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Content | Structured program: fire suppression, light search and rescue, medical triage (START), team organization, stress management |
| Duration | 20-24 hours (7-8 sessions) |
| Providers | FEMA (USA), local adaptations in many countries, municipalities |
| Cost | Generally free (public funding) |
| Refresher | Annual (maintenance drills) |
| Club target | Disaster Coordinator + 2-3 DRC members |
Why it fits Rotary: CERT teaches exactly what a mobilized club does, teamwork under a structured command system, assess a situation, prioritize, act. The difference between a group of well-intentioned volunteers and an effective team is this training.
Availability: CERT programs vary by country. In the US, they are available through municipalities and the FEMA program. In France, equivalent trainings exist through certified civil safety associations and local authorities. Check with your town hall or prefecture.
4. Grant Management Seminar (GMS)¶
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Content | 10 mandatory modules: grant types, budgeting, governance, stewardship, reporting, closeout |
| Duration | ~8 hours (online, self-paced) |
| Access | my.rotary.org, Learning Center |
| Cost | Free |
| Validity | Mandatory annual renewal (July 1st) |
| Club target | Disaster Coordinator + Treasurer + President (minimum) |
Why it is non-negotiable: Without a valid GMS for the current year, your club cannot apply for a Disaster Response Grant. That is 25,000 USD your community will not receive. GMS is not a formality, it is the key that opens access to Rotary Foundation funds. The Coordinator and Treasurer must be certified BEFORE the disaster. Not after.
Training matrix by role¶
| Role in the club | First aid | PFA | CERT | GMS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club President | Recommended | Required | , | Required |
| Disaster Coordinator | Required | Required | Required | Required |
| DRC, Logistics | Required | Recommended | Recommended | , |
| DRC, Communications | Recommended | Required | , | , |
| DRC, Finance | , | , | , | Required |
| Any volunteer member | Required (target 50%) | Recommended | , | , |
The tabletop exercise: train the club in 30 minutes¶
The tabletop exercise is the most effective training tool for a Rotary club. It requires no equipment, no travel, no budget. It is done around the usual meeting table, during a regular club meeting.
Principle¶
The Disaster Coordinator presents a fictional but realistic scenario. Club members react in real time: what do we do? Who calls whom? What resources do we mobilize? What problems emerge?
The goal is not to "succeed" in the exercise. The goal is to identify the plan's flaws BEFORE the real disaster.
Typical flow (30-45 minutes)¶
| Phase | Duration | Content |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Scenario presentation | 5 min | The Coordinator reads the scenario aloud. A printed sheet is handed out at each table. |
| 2. Initial reaction | 10 min | The Coordinator asks the key questions. Free discussion. Each member reacts according to their role (or the role they would play in a crisis). |
| 3. Injects | 10 min | The Coordinator adds complications (mobile network down, road blocked, influx of untrained volunteers). The group adjusts its response. |
| 4. Debriefing | 10 min | What worked? What could we not answer? What gaps in the plan? Corrective actions to record. |
Ready-to-use scenario example¶
Scenario: Flash flood
Tuesday 2:30 p.m. Torrential rains for 48 hours have caused the [local name] river to flood. The [name] district is flooded, 1 meter of water in the streets. 200 families are trapped, including a retirement home of 40 residents. Power is out in the district. Firefighters are overwhelmed, they are prioritizing rescues. The town hall is opening the [name] gymnasium as an emergency shelter. It is 3 p.m., you learn the news.
Coordinator's questions:
- Alert: How do you activate the call-down list? Who calls whom? How long to reach all members?
- Assessment: Who do you send to the field to assess the situation? How do they relay the information?
- Resources: Look at the club inventory, which members and which equipment do we mobilize within the hour?
- Coordination: Who contacts the town hall? Who contacts the district? Who attends the coordination meeting if one is called?
- Action: What is our most useful role: accommodation at the gymnasium? Transport? Community kitchen? Something else?
Injects (to be distributed at 10 and 20 minutes):
Inject 1 (10 min): "The mobile network is saturated. Calls are not getting through. SMS pass with a 30-minute delay. WhatsApp works intermittently."
Inject 2 (20 min): "15 people show up spontaneously at the gymnasium to help. They are not Rotarians, not trained, but motivated. At the same time, the Red Cross calls you: they can supply 100 hygiene kits but need transport."
Build your own scenarios¶
Adapt the scenario to the real risks of your territory (identified in chapter 3). A club in a seismic zone simulates an earthquake. A club in a coastal zone simulates a cyclone. A club in an industrial zone simulates a technological accident.
Structure of a good scenario:
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Context | Day, time, season, weather |
| Event | Type of disaster, location, scale |
| Impact | Number of people affected, damage, services down |
| Available resources | What works, what no longer works |
| Implicit demand | What does the community expect from the Rotary club? |
| 2-3 injects | Complications that force adaptation (communication down, victim surge, water shortage, media calling) |
Take part in municipal drills¶
Most municipalities organize civil protection drills, at least annually. These drills are an exceptional opportunity for the club:
- Test coordination with real local emergency actors
- Get known by authorities as a reliable resource
- Train members in realistic conditions
- Identify gaps in the club's emergency plan in a multi-actor context
How to participate¶
| Step | Action | Responsible |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Contact the town hall (operations director or civil safety department) to learn the drills calendar | Coordinator |
| 2 | Request to participate as a support organization | Club President (official letter) |
| 3 | Define the club's role in the drill (logistics, shelter, distribution, communication) | Coordinator + town hall |
| 4 | Brief the participating members on the scenario and procedures | Coordinator |
| 5 | Participate actively, in identified Rotary vests | 3-5 members minimum |
| 6 | Post-drill debriefing: lessons for the club's plan | Coordinator |
Post-drill after-action report (AAR)¶
After each drill (internal or municipal), write a 1-page AAR:
| Section | Content |
|---|---|
| Date and type of drill | Ex: "March 15, 2026, Municipal flood drill, commune of [name]" |
| Club participants | Names and roles |
| What worked | 3-5 positive points |
| What did not work | 3-5 points to improve |
| Corrective actions | For each negative point: action, owner, deadline |
This AAR is archived and presented to the club at the next meeting. Corrective actions are tracked by the Coordinator.
RI training resources¶
Rotary International provides a set of training resources accessible for free or at low cost. Most are found on the MyRotary Learning Center.
MyRotary platform, Learning Center¶
| Resource | Content |
|---|---|
| Grant Management Seminar (GMS) | 10 mandatory modules for TRF grants (my.rotary.org, Learning Center) |
| Disaster Recovery Playbook | RI reference guide for disaster response, downloadable PDF (my.rotary.org) |
| Rotary Showcase | Examples of disaster projects documented by other clubs (my.rotary.org/showcase) |
| Club Finder | Identify clubs in disaster-affected zones for coordination (my.rotary.org) |
| RI Webinars | Regular sessions on project management, grants, disaster response (schedule on my.rotary.org) |
DNA-RAG resources¶
DNA-RAG (Disaster Network of Assistance Rotary Action Group) is the reference RAG recognized by RI for disasters. Its resources comply with RI policies.
| Resource | Content |
|---|---|
| Response guides | Operational protocols, checklists, templates (dna-rag.com) |
| Online training | Webinars, tutorials, case studies (dna-rag.com) |
| Mentoring | Guidance by Rotarians experienced in disasters (contact via the site) |
| Expert network | Connection with specialists by field (via the regional coordinator) |
RI Conventions¶
The annual Rotary International conventions offer sessions dedicated to disasters: - DNA-RAG workshops and specialized RAGs - Testimonies from clubs that have responded to major disasters - Networking between zone coordinators and RAG representatives - Proceedings are available on MyRotary after each convention
Annual checklist, Training and practice¶
- Start-of-year briefing held in September (emergency plan, DRC roles, inventory)
- First aid session organized for volunteer members
- GMS renewed for the Coordinator, the Treasurer and the President
- At least 1 tabletop exercise held during a club meeting
- Participation in at least 1 municipal drill (if available)
- AAR written and archived for each drill
- Corrective actions from previous AARs tracked and closed
- PFA module completed by at least 3 members (WHO online or in person)
- Call-down list tested (real drill) at least once in the year
- New members briefed on the club's emergency plan and procedures
An untested plan is a hypothesis. A tested plan is a capability. The 30-minute tabletop exercise costs zero euro and systematically reveals flaws no one had seen on paper. The member who discovers during an exercise that they do not know who to call at the district is a member who will know on disaster day. The one who discovers it during the real crisis has lost hours, and perhaps lives.