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Disaster Preparedness Training for Latino Migrant and Seasonal Farm Workers in Communities Where They Work

The Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Disaster Preparedness Demonstration Project delivered a 20-hour, culturally and linguistically tailored CERT-based training to Hispanic farmworkers in Michigan. Training covered emergency preparedness, basic response skills, and simulation exercises. The program improved participants’ skills to protect themselves and assist others before first responders arrive.

Date published:
December 17, 2018

Evidence At A Glance

Study Type:
Quantitative
Study Design:
Cohort/cross-sectional
Study Outcomes:
Effectiveness, Feasibility
Target Population:
General public, Rural populations
Disaster Type:
Intervention Target Level:
Community level

Intervention Area:

Biosurveillance:
  • Disease transmission, detection & control
Community resilience:
  • Community-level public health infrastructure & administration of PHEPR
Effective Intervention
Yes
View Article

Intervention Outcomes

  • Capacity Building: Created a linguistic and cultural ability in the target community to address the needs of this vulnerable population in the event of a disaster.
  • Systems Change: Enhanced emergency response and disaster preparedness, and First Aid, CPR, and AED competencies for participants.
  • Knowledge Change: Numerous valuable disaster preparedness training planning lessons for project team.
    • Built continuing interest in participants in acquiring more emergency preparedness and response skills. This could lead to greater capacity in the target county to support this population in literate and culturally competent ways during disasters. 

Intervention How-To

Based on the article, here are steps to follow to conduct a similar intervention, with additional information in the source article. 

Establish Partnerships
  • Form collaborations between the University Extension Service, human services providers for migrant and seasonal farmworkers, and county emergency services. This is crucial for addressing barriers to emergency training.
Develop Curriculum (Based on CERT)
  • Utilize the national Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) curriculum, developed by FEMA, as the foundation for the educational content.
  • Tailor the curriculum to be 20 hours in length and focus on relevant disaster preparedness and response skills for the target population.
Plan Workshop Logistics
  • Schedule: Organize workshops, considering the work patterns and crop harvest schedules of migrant and seasonal farmworkers. Avoid periods of high labor in summer. 
  • Duration: Each workshop should be approximately 3 days in length.
  • Accommodation/Travel:
    • Consider options for participants, such as overnight stays at the training facility to allow for evening work/training.
    • Alternatively, provide incentives like gas gift certificates for participants who return home each evening to cover travel costs.
  • Support Services: Provide essential support services to ensure participation:
Assemble Training Personnel
  • Designate a main trainer to lead the sessions.
  • Recruit a team of 10-12 first responder volunteers to assist with training and simulations.
Deliver Workshop Content
  • Use a standardized training curriculum for better success, such as the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training found here. 
  • Ensure that you cover core disaster preparedness and response skills, including:
    • Fire safety
    • Light search and rescue
    • Team organization
    • Incident command
    • Disaster medical operations
  • In addition to CERT:
    • Include a session on how to prepare for and manage money in event of disasters 
    • Include CPR/AED training and certification using Heartsaver materials 
  • Featured videos from the pilot can be found on YouTube
Practical Application

Incorporate disaster simulation exercises to allow participants to apply their learned skills in a practical setting.

Implementation Considerations

  • Getting workers to show up. Need additional staff time for recruitment, and to time sessions when labor is less needed.
  • Not having a certified bilingual trainer. Additional Spanish speakers were recruited, but a professional was needed.
  • Lack of transportation for farmworkers. Create a supportive transport system.
  • Lack of culturally specific curriculum. Adjust for relevancy 
  • Three-day commitment may be too long. Adjust for population time constraints.

Helpful Resources