At our regular club meeting on February 12, 2026, we heard a very interesting presentation from David Little and Jax Jaramillo of Broomfield VOAD. VOAD stands for Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster. Broomfield VOAD is collaborative network that supports the City and County of Broomfield’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM). Currently, Broomfield VOAD has more than two dozen members, all organizations, including churches, charities and businesses.  

Broomfield VOAD springs into action following a local emergency. An example would be the Marshall Fire. Broomfield VOAD gets a call from Broomfield OEM requesting volunteers to assist with the emergency. The request is not for first responders, but rather for support personnel. For example, Broomfield OED might set up a temporary shelter for persons displaced by a fire and would need volunteers to staff and manage the shelter. After getting the call from Broomfield OED, Broomfield VOAD contacts its member organizations. The member organizations then reach out to their respective memberships for volunteers. The volunteers contact Broomfield OED, which coordinates and manages the volunteer activities. VOAD supplies the people. 

There are numerous VOADS throughout the U.S. and the State of Colorado. VOADs began forming after Hurricane Camile, which took place in 1969 and left a massive path of destruction in its wake. Following that disaster, many responding organizations were running into each other. Each responding organization acted independently of the others. As a result, there was little to no coordination among the responding organizations, resulting in poor service to victims. VOADs formed in response to that experience. 

More information about Broomfield VOAD can be found on their web site: Broomfield VOAD – Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster.