What do I need to know and be able to do to participate safely?
Briefly: Marin Power volunteers are not emergency responders. Training is designed to help you understand your role, recognize unsafe conditions, operate within established procedures, and know when not to act.
1. Volunteer Orientation
What is Marin Power, and what is my role?
Mission and operating philosophy
What volunteers do—and don’t do
Prepared over improvised
Tested over assumed
Safe over heroic
How the volunteer network works
2. Safety Training
How do I recognize when a situation is unsafe?
Floodwater hazards
Electrical hazards
Vehicle/access safety
Weather and road conditions
Safe pumping and discharge
When to stop or cancel a deployment
Emergency-response boundaries
Visit the Safety & Boundaries page for more information. Volunteer orientation is required before deployment.
3. Pump & Power Training
How do I safely support a pumping deployment?
Pump equipment
EV/pump connections
Setup and shutdown
Positioning
Discharge
Monitoring
Expected operating periods
Equipment-specific procedures
This is where the operating procedures will be specifically documented.
4. Deployment Training
What happens when Marin Power is activated?
How a deployment begins
Who makes the deployment decision
Volunteer notification
Site assessment
Travel/access requirements
Arrival and setup
Monitoring
Completion
Reporting
5. Site-Specific Training
What do I need to know about the location I’m supporting?
Before a pump request becomes public, a site assessment is evaluated in order to safely access and prepare for a pump service.
For example:
Site profile
Approved equipment
EV requirements
Pump location
Discharge location
Access route
Hazards
Deployment triggers
Site-specific stop conditions
That is potentially extremely valuable because the site itself has already been evaluated before the storm. The volunteer shouldn’t have to reinvent that assessment during an emergency.
6. Practice & Qualification
How do I know I’m ready?
Training checklist
Demonstration/practice
Equipment competency
Site orientation
Volunteer acknowledgment
Qualification status
Refresher requirements