When disaster strikes in Palm Beach County, Fla., a team of volunteers trained by county emergency managers can be deployed as the first line of defense, helping their communities with everything from search and rescue to basic first aid to putting out small fires. They can also be called upon to distribute or install smoke alarms, hand out disaster education materials or replace smoke alarm batteries in the homes of the elderly, according to a brochure about the program.
But there’s no requirement that they be subject to any kind of criminal background check.
That could change after a concerned Boynton Beach resident complained to the Florida Division of Emergency Management’s Inspector General.
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