Sarasota County Emergency Management Chief Ed McCrane will be the featured presenter at a faith-based and neighborhood association disaster orientation entitled "Applying the Lessons Learned." The event will be from 8:30-10:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 29, at the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) on the sixth floor of the Sarasota County Administration Center, 1660 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota. Registration for the free program begins at 8:30 a.m.

Organizers say that 300 local faith-based and neighborhood representatives have been invited to attend. The program will include an overview of Sarasota County Emergency Management and a preview of the upcoming hurricane season by Ed McCrane. There also will be presentations on "Field Experience" by Curtis Hencye of Calvary Chapel Sarasota Relief Ministries, "Identifying Your Role" by the Rev. Marion R. Sortore of Charlotte Harbor Trinity United Methodist Church and "How You Can Get Involved" by Mindi Rohan of Volunteer Community Connections and Ben Kunkel of United Way 211 of Manasota.

The event is sponsored by Sarasota Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) in conjunction with the Community Alliance of Sarasota County, Sarasota County government and Volunteer Community Connections.

COAD is a network of community organizations working together topromote the efficient, streamlined service delivery and coordination throughout the four phases of disaster: preparation, response, recovery and mitigation. The Sarasota COAD continually prepares for any type of hazard, including pandemics, terrorism, natural disasters and mass casualities, among others.

The COAD was created after Sarasota County participated in the response and recovery effort following Hurricane Charley. The COAD member organizations engage community leaders in discussions to document the lessons learned. They also look for ways to foster partnerships and streamline response and recovery processes to support Sarasota County Emergency Management if a weather-related or other type of disaster hits Sarasota County.

To register for the May 29 orientation or for more information about disaster volunteer needs, call Volunteer Community Connections at 941-953-5965 or email info@vccflorida.org. Volunteer Community Connections has a volunteer registry that will allow faith-based organizations to register groups, identify areas of interest before a disaster and secure the needed training to be effective in their volunteer roles.

For more information about the Sarasota COAD, visit www.sarasotacoad.org.