The importance of volunteer civil protection and defense agents in reporting accidents and disasters: A case study of the mapping of occurrences in Nova Iguaçu-RJ

This article presents the benefits of a tool that trains volunteers who support the Municipal Protection and Civil Defense Coordination, working to reduce risks and manage accidents and disasters. The research focused on studying the role of volunteering in civil protection and defense in Brazil, identifying the type of disaster, by neighborhood, most relevant in the municipality of Nova Iguaçu, which caused the greatest damage and losses: floods. Furthermore, the relevance of the trained volunteer and the role of the Training Center for Emergencies and Disasters in training and preparing volunteers for a more technical vision were considered. The research methodology was qualitative, with researchers analyzing the information, actions and activities listed, to obtain data on practical actions, involving the target audience of the community. The information was extremely important for the creation of the map and its maintenance through reports from NUPDECs volunteer agents, who were in the affected communities. It is positive to conclude about the relevance of the tool created, despite the difficulties in obtaining the data for its preparation, which were overcome with the partnership of several actors involved.