How did 25 neighbors safely deploy 3,500 volunteers in response to the largest natural disaster in Santa Barbara County history? Come and learn at the Bucket Brigade Academy

Bucket Brigade Academy is a leadership training program for high school students interested in community resilience. Through hands-on volunteer deployments and positive leadership education, Bucket Brigade Academy teaches students how to organize, train and deploy volunteers in response to natural disasters and community crises.

Building on the Bucket Brigade Community Self-Rescue System, honed during the humanitarian response to the 2018 Thomas Fire and Debris Flow, our trainers put an emphasis on relationship-building and community organizing to help create a more connected and resilient Santa Barbara County. Academy graduates will leave the programs with an understanding of the skills and abilities required to lead during a community crisis as well as to lead community service projects generally.

Each training day has 4 main parts

1. Safety Training and Certification: First aid, CPR/AED and bleeding control techniques.
2. Volunteer Leadership Skills Development: How to organize, train and deploy volunteers in the field.  We will consider strategy and tactics and then we will employ different leadership techniques during practice deployments.
3. Volunteer Deployment. There is a 2 hour deployment each day. Students take turns trying out different volunteer leadership positions and provide feedback to the team.
4. Relationship-building, Snacking and Resting. We will have two snack breaks and a 30 minute lunch break.  Lunch and snacks will be provided by the Bucket Brigade.

Students will also receive:

• ASHI Certification – CPR/AED/Stop the Bleed/Epipen and Naloxone
• 30 Hours – Community service
• Bucket Brigade Leadership Certification at training level

Training and Certification Levels:

• Level 1: Team Leader
• Level 2: Captain
• Level 3: Battalion Chief
• Level 4: Deployment Coordinator (AKA Incident Command)

Summer 2023 program date and times are TBA.