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OFBCI > Disaster Preparedness > About OFBCI & Disaster Prep About OFBCI & Disaster Prep

Disaster preparedness and volunteer and donations management – As it is guided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS), the OFBCI offers support in addressing needs under Emergency Service Function 14 (ESF 14) – Long-Term Recovery. The OFBCI also works with the network of disaster service organizations known as Indiana Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) and their local counterparts known as Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COADs) to increase Indiana communities’ ability to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. Through this involvement, even with the disruption and damage inherent in a disaster, the OFBCI will work with organizations and volunteers to address basic human needs.

In Indiana, the American Red Cross serves as the primary agency responsible for the initial coordination of Emergency Support Function 6 (ESF 6). During this period, the OFBCI collaborates with voluntary organizations, working principally with the Indiana Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (INVOAD), a statewide association of secular and sectarian relief agencies. 

In the event a local unit of government declares a state of emergency, the OFBCI activates as support to ESF 6, which is responsible for Mass Care, Emergency Assistance, Housing, and Human Services.  Critical to this mission is the receipt, deployment, and maintenance of immediate humanitarian aid to victims of a natural or human-intended disaster.

Additionally, the OFBCI establishes and operates the Individual Assistance Disaster Call Center upon being activated by IDHS. The OFBCI and its INVOAD partners support Long-Term Community Recovery, which include duties like: (1) social and economic community impact assessment; (2) long-term recovery assistance to victims; and, (3) mitigation.

Especially in times of disaster, the OFBCI serves as state government’s liaison to Indiana’s voluntary sector.  Governor Daniels established the OFBCI on 11 January 2005.  Executive Order 05-16 merged the Indiana Commission on Community Service and Volunteerism (ICCSV) and the FaithWorks Indiana program into the OFBCI and directs the agency to do the following:

(i) work closely with faith-based and community-based groups, charitable organizations, private charities, voluntary associations, educational entities, and other nonprofit service organizations to promote volunteerism and community service and to assist them in identifying and applying for discretionary federal grants;

(ii) provide technical assistance, education, information, and other support to such groups and  organizations to improve and strengthen the State’s volunteerism and community service infrastructure;

(iii) promote innovative and model programs and initiatives and share best practices among such groups and organizations; and

The agency is comprised of ten (10) full-time staff and five (5) AmeriCorps*VISTAs (Volunteers in Service to America).