PHILIPSBURG--- K1 DIRECT, a volunteer-based Disaster Relief & Crisis Team under the K1 Britannia Foundation, will be hosting an information & Question & Answer session for persons interested in joining this Wednesday May 22nd 2019, 6:30pm at K1’s office located in the Brooks Tower in Philipsburg.
Since the passing of Hurricane Irma, K1 Britannia Foundation has conceptualized and materialized this official disaster relief & crisis team to assist St. Maarten and the region during disaster situations. K1 has been in the forefront of first response, mass distributions and shelter management immediately after destruction struck in 2017, working diligently with the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard, the Koninklijke Marechaussee and Government entities such as Emergency Support Function 7 (ESF7) to bring relief to care institutions and the general affected population.
Since then K1 DIRECT has set up two completely voluntary teams on St. Maarten and in Curacao of approximately 40 persons co-managed by Iris Hakkens and Alan Schet. The team was set up in Curacao as a contingency team outside the hurricane belt, incase K1 DIRECT St. Maarten becomes deeply affected.
K1 DIRECT members have been working hard to complete a variety of trainings. All K1 DIRECT St. Maarten members have completed their CPR/First Aid/AED Training and six have gone on to become Emergency medical responder (EMR) certified through Windward Islands Emergency Medical Services (WIEMS). Most recently K1 DIRECT St. Maarten & Curacao participated in a 6-day training facilitated by the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC)'s Mr. Jacob “Sjaak” Seen. The course covered everything from Principles of Humanitarian Aid, Disaster & Crisis Management to Search & Rescue Phase, Emergency Logistics, and much more.
K1 DIRECT is a voluntary team comprised of dedicated persons in various fields that are committed to giving back locally and regionally when a disaster hits.
K1 would like to extend an invitation to the public and those who may be interested in joining the team to attend the information session. The session will cover the predetermined roles of K1 DIRECT on St. Maarten, it’s role in the Caribbean region, criteria for interested persons, what K1 expects of volunteer responders, and what volunteers can expect from the foundation.
Once again, the session will be held on Wednesday, May 22nd at 6:30pm at the K1 Britannia Foundation office located on Falcon Drive #7, Suite A3 in the Brooks Tower, Suite A3 in Philipsburg. Any questions, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call +1 (721) 580-3923 or +1 (721) 543-3332 or send a message on it’s Facebook at www.facebook.com/k1sxm.
