DSW ID Card Information and FAQ
1) There's been an emergency. What do I do?
If you are at work: Report immediately to your department supervisor or a department designated staging area.
If you are at home or otherwise away from work:
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Remember to Secure Your Family First
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Listen to the radio to receive possible citywide reporting instructions:
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KNBR (680AM)
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KCBS (740AM)
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KGO (810AM)
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KQED (88.5FM)
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KSJO (92.3FM)
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Contact your immediate supervisor in your chain of command to receive reporting instructions.
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Follow the procedures for reporting to your normal work location or designated Staging Area.
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Be sure to have your Disaster Service Worker Card with you. It will be required to rapidly access emergency transportation routes.
2) What is my responsibility as a DSW?
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When the Mayor declares a citywide emergency within the City and County of San Francisco, you need to take care of your family first and ensure their safety
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Follow your department's reporting instructions
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Be prepared to be assigned to any type of disaster service activity
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Understand assignments may require your DSW service to be at locations, times and conditions, other than your normal work assignment
3) What kind of duties might I be asked to perform as a disaster service worker?
In most cases, your department supervisor or the Department of Human Resources will provide you with a DSW general assignment based on the needs of City and County departments during the declared citywide emergency. Examples of general job category duties you may be asked to perform include: clerical support; damage assessment; drivers; food preparation; interpreters; security; sorters/packers/loaders.
4) What kind of training do I need to take to become a DSW?
All public employees will need to complete the training listed on the training page of the DSW website. The first component, which consists of a presentation, a video and an interactive exercise, provides a general overview of what it means to be a disaster service worker and what you need to do to prepare for an emergency. The second training component -- the NIMS training -- provides disaster service workers with more technical expertise on incident response in an emergency.
5) How will my supervisors know that I have completed the necessary training?
All Disaster Service Workers will receive a certificate of completion once they have successfully completed the online training curricula. Certificates of completion should be submitted to your supervisor for their records.
6) I see that I have to participate in an exercise and/or take a quiz in order to get my certificate. What if I fail the test?
Sometimes, in order to obtain the certificate, the participant will be instructed to take a quiz or participate in an exercise. If you fail, you will be allowed to retake the quiz/test/exercise as many times as necessary to get your certificate.
7) How do I get involved with the Disaster Service Worker program?
If you are an employee of the City & County of San Francisco you are already designated a disaster service worker. As a disaster service worker you are required to complete the training exercises and present a certificate of completion to your manager. If you would like to get more involved, talk to your supervisor about operational functional response training with courses in basic first aid, CPR, stress management and shelter management. Also be sure to notify your supervisor if you have any special skills that might be useful in an emergency. Examples of special skills include other languages spoken, licenses and certifications, CPR or first aid training, possession of a commercial drivers? license, etc.
8) How can I make a suggestion to the Disaster Service Worker program?
We encourage you to contact us with your suggestion.
9) How can I ensure that I am prepared for an emergency?
The best way for you to be prepared for an emergency is to take the DSW training, then download and follow the emergency preparedness checklist (PDF). For more information, you can also visit our additional resources page, which provides links to helpful websites including 72 Hours.org, the local and state offices of emergency services, and the American Red Cross.
10) Will I continue to get paid if there has been an emergency?
Employees who receive paper paychecks and payroll advice notices may experience significant delays in receiving paychecks and payroll information following a disaster. To ensure that you continue to be paid and receive payroll information in a timely fashion following a disaster, enroll in Direct Deposit and PayStub Online today. (Direct Deposit FAQ) If you are having trouble opening a bank account, please visit the Bank on San Francisco program or call (415) 554-4409.
