Priority OnDemand Donates PPE, Volunteer Tennessee Helps Coordinate Effort
(Nashville, TN) — On March 15, 2024, Volunteer Tennessee coordinated a generous donation of thousands of personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies from Priority OnDemand to disaster and emergency preparedness volunteer programs in Tennessee. The donation equipped critical volunteer programs such as Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT), Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) units, and Disaster Animal Response Teams (DART) with essential supplies to enhance training and emergency preparedness efforts. Carlene Sifford, Priority OnDemand’s director of global purchasing, and Don Sowers, Volunteer Tennessee’s disaster volunteer services manager, led the effort.
“This generous donation will assist our volunteers as they train for future disasters or other emergencies that may affect our neighbors in Tennessee," said Sowers. "Each of these volunteer programs genuinely appreciates Priority OnDemand being our partner in emergency and disaster response. Thank you to Priority OnDemand for the commitment you have made to serving our communities.”
Priority OnDemand is a Tennessee-based company founded in 2013 in Knoxville as Priority Ambulance, and it has expanded into fourteen states. Bryan Gibson, chief executive officer of Priority OnDemand, emphasized the company’s commitment to community welfare, stating, “We are honored to partner with Volunteer Tennessee in contributing to our home state’s resilience during emergencies.”
Sowers expressed gratitude for the support and noted the critical role such donations play in bolstering volunteer-driven initiatives. He said, “On behalf of Volunteer Tennessee and local CERT, MRC, and DART programs, we each greatly appreciate these generous donations from Priority OnDemand supporting Tennessee’s excellent volunteer programs. This donation of personal protective equipment was also facilitated by Brandon Ward, director of the Tennessee Department of Health - Office of EMS. And the donated supplies will greatly assist our disaster volunteer programs to conduct future training and exercises aiding our communities in being better prepared for real-life emergency scenarios.”
Volunteer Tennessee is the governor’s commission for volunteerism and community service. It builds capacity and sustainability in Tennessee’s volunteer sector, provides guidance, and acts as a liaison to FEMA for locally-led Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) programs. CERT training educates people about emergencies and disaster preparedness for themselves, their families, neighbors, and local communities. Tennessee has 34 locally sponsored CERT programs.
The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), coordinated by the Tennessee Department of Health, has 13 MRC units located across the state with approximately 17,000 volunteers. The units organize teams of medical and non-medical volunteers to support public health activities in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from public health emergencies from natural and man-made catastrophic events.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture maintains preparedness to respond to disaster by coordinating the efforts of credentialed responders and registered volunteers. Tennessee Disaster Animal Response Teams (DART) are integral for animal disaster preparedness and response.
To learn more about CERT programs, email volunteer.tennessee@tn.gov or visit Volunteer Tennessee’s website.
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The mission of Volunteer Tennessee is to encourage volunteerism and community service. Volunteer Tennessee is the 25-member, bipartisan citizen commission appointed by the governor to oversee AmeriCorps programs, manage the Tennessee Serves Network, promote service-learning opportunities, and foster community service initiatives and partnerships in which people of all ages and backgrounds engage in addressing the educational, public safety, disaster preparedness, environmental, and other human needs in the Volunteer State. For more information, visit www.volunteertennessee.net, or visit us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
