(Photo Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

PARKERSBURG — American Red Cross of the Ohio River Valley has an immediate urgent need for volunteer drivers for Emergency Response Vehicles (ERV).

There will be an ERV Driving Course held on Saturday, May 10, at 10 a.m. in Parkersburg.

Executive Director Sharon Kesselring said they do not have enough qualified drivers in their region to operate these vehicles, including for one vehicle that is coming to Parkersburg in the near future.

“We don’t have enough drivers to sustain the need that we have for driving those ERVs,” she said. “It takes special training.

“That is why we need to make sure that we have enough confirmed drivers for them.”

Since these vehicles need to be deployed for two weeks at a time, drivers are needed who can deploy for one two-week stint each year, Kesselring said, adding with multiple emergencies that can happen during a year, a number of people are needed who can be trained to drive the vehicles and be able to be deployed.

Volunteers recently returned from a deployment to Kentucky that had suffered flooding in a number of areas in eastern Kentucky. They were delivering emergency response supplies and providing food to people as people were cleaning up their homes.

The ERVs are essential to deliver immediate relief after disasters, big and small, according to a press release from the American Red Cross of the Ohio River Valley.

Kesselring said the ERVs would also be utilized and deployed for local emergencies that can last a shorter amount of time, like a house fire or something else to keep people safe and warm or air-conditioned (depending on the immediate conditions) as well as do the needed casework and more.

ERVs can travel through debris-ridden streets and deliver aid to hard-to-reach communities, serve as safe shelters to support recovery casework and help pre-position supplies, according to the press release.

Since an ERV will be coming to the area soon, trained drivers will be needed, Kesselring said.

Drivers must be at least 18 years of age or older, have a current/valid driver’s license, have a clean Motor Vehicle Registration, and be comfortable driving a high-profile vehicle and complete an online course before attending. Training will be provided on the day of the event, but the background check and online course must be completed before the class on May 10th.

To register for the May 10 training course, visit https://bit.ly/ORVERV051025 by May 6. For more information, call Kesselring at 304-488-5279.