Our Community Assistance Team CARES

The Need:

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue responds to over 132,000 emergency calls every year which creates an entry point for those in need of support and services that may go beyond the event that initiated their 911 call.

The Mission:

To provide a professional and volunteer social services team (Community Assistance Team or CAT) that offers comfort, assistance, resources, and evaluation to those served by Palm Beach County Fire Rescue who have been identified as having a need for CAT outreach during a 911 call.

The Model:

Comfort: Provide emotional first aid on the scene of 911 calls in the jurisdiction of Palm Beach County Fire Rescue to support individuals, families, bystanders, and responders.

Assistance: Provide advocacy, information, education, and support related to the social service needs of those referred to the Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Community Assistance Team, as well as participating in community partnerships and special projects to address the needs of the community related to social services and emergency medical care.

Resources: Empower those served to meet a need, reach a goal, achieve stability, and/or improve life quality by serving as a resource connection to agencies, organizations, and community partners.

Evaluation: Identify the strengths and challenges of the individuals and families we serve to create a plan to meet their stability needs and life quality goals.

The Goal:

Safety Net: To be a safety net of crisis support and social services to meet the unique needs of all those served by Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. 

Join Us: 

The Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Community Assistance Team recruits volunteers for various roles including crisis response and client follow-up, administrative support, and special projects. Volunteers must be 21 years of age or older, have a valid Florida driver's license, and pass both a criminal and driving background check. Volunteers are interviewed prior to acceptance. Once a volunteer completes the application process and is formally accepted they will receive extensive training related to their role, and will be offered additional training opportunities throughout their service to Palm Beach County Fire Rescue.

The Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Community Assistance Team also recruits current Master's Social Work (MSW) students who are seeking a field placement to complete requirements of their degree.

For additional information about this unique volunteer and internship opportunity, or to apply, please contact the PBCFR Community Assistance Team Coordinator via email at CATTEAM@pbcgov.org.