The Ready Responders™ Boots On the Ground Exercise

Get Trained – Save Lives

Hosted once a year over the course of two days in New York City, The BOOTS on the ground Exercise (BOGX) is one of World Cares Center’s most important initiatives. The Exercise is a specially designed training simulation to prepare individuals to be ready to step in following disasters and crisis that hit communities around the country.

At World Cares Center we believe a community’s most valuable resource is its citizens.  When disaster strikes, we join forces and we respond.

The annual training covers response from arriving on scene and setting up a chain of command to communicating effectively with those affected, to how to stay safe at destruction clean up sites.

Individuals learn how to:

• Set up an efficient Volunteer Reception Center – reception, tents, logistics, and more.
• Use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• Muck & gut homes
• Speak with, and support, emotionally distressed survivors
• Sanitize flood contaminated items
• Use a fire extinguisher
• Stop the bleed (new this year)

Veterans Bring All The Skills

The inspiration is in the name. Veterans have played a key role in the BOOTS on the Ground Exercise (BOGX) since the beginning.

When communities experience disaster from storms and other unexpected events they rely on responders who possess the integrity, the leadership, and the strength that comes naturally from our veterans in the military. If we are contacted to respond to an event, we call on those that completed the BOGX training to join us in action.

Together with other volunteers and community leaders – Veterans have been fundamental to our success in re-building these vulnerable communities and individuals.

If you are veteran – please consider joining us in 2020 at the training and simulation. Allow us to show you what these communications need during a crisis.  Sign up is simple, click the button below.

“Give survivors a bottle of water, and they drink for a day. Give them the tools to coordinate their own recovery and they can rebuild their lives, their community, and be prepared for a future crisis.”

In the beginning:

In May 2018, we launched, the Ready Responders™ Boots on the Ground exercise (RRN BOG), engaging community members who have taken WCC’s training, and allowing them to put their training and disaster response capabilities to the test.

World Cares Center has addressed the need for training, but training alone is not enough. We must practice the skills that we have learned before a disaster in a safe yet realistically simulated environment, and allow relationships to be forged that will be actualized when disasters strike.

Addressing the need for flood response:

The 2018 RRN BOG was tailored around flood response and recovery efforts. Participants practiced volunteer reception center management, mucking, gutting, mold remediation, donning and doffing personal protective equipment, and emotional resiliency. This is now our Just-In-TIme Flood Response Training Program.