The Nissan volunteer helping communities prepare for disaster
Damon Biehl — I.T Specialist, USA
It takes a special kind of person to be a community volunteer. When you're juggling a busy full-time job with family commitments, volunteering is a lot to take on. But Damon Biehl, a Nissan IT specialist based in Michigan, Detroit, is answering the call.
When disaster strikes, communities are often displaced by weather events like floods, landslides and hurricanes, or endangered by sudden fires and major traffic accidents.
Damon gives up around 50 hours of free time every year to assist relief efforts as a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteer. What motivates him to go out of his way for others?
"There's lots of tiring, long days on your feet, but the appreciation I receive makes it all worthwhile," said Damon.
"Local events and traditions wouldn't exist without volunteer support. I get a buzz from seeing communities come together and people having a good time. CERT volunteers get a lot of appreciation from the public and police, who we assist. It allows them to focus on more serious situations. "
As the eyes and ears on the ground for events like parades, marathons, fireworks, concerts, and soccer tournaments, CERT volunteers carry medic kits and radios. They must be ready to respond if a serious event occurs.
Damon's day job at Nissan involves specialist IT support for High Performance Computing engineering: a critical function for today's data-driven auto sector. He works in the Nissan Technical Center managing databases, software licensing, storage, and more. It's a role that has equipped him well for community service, where he needs to be organized and proactive to make people's lives safer and help events run smoothly.
In his hometown of Michigan, Detroit, Damon now works to train new volunteers, and he's classified as a first responder for minor local emergencies. So how did he get into volunteering in the first place?
"As an amateur radio operator, I was already involved in emergency communications in the state of Michigan, which includes reporting on severe weather. When I heard about CERT training, I jumped at it."
"I think it's extremely useful for everyone to learn these skills, which cover basic trauma, medical help, fire suppression, search and rescue, and crowd control. I figured that combined with my amateur radio knowledge, this was a great way to help local communities."
There's one more skill Damon's improved on the job: "My dance moves! Dancing while directing traffic can diffuse tension or boredom in a long line of crawling cars. I've met many interesting people - and had lots of fun while doing something good."
