Armed Forces -AFES

Armed Forces Emergency Services, AFES, is the official emergency communications link between Military Personnel around the world and their families. The American Red Cross, through Congressional Charter is appointed to provide this service. Our chapter provides this service with dedicated volunteers who have received training and who have also gone through a "mini-apprenticeship" with an experienced volunteer. Volunteers are on-call 24-hours a day for one week at a time, usually every 5-6 weeks. Our chapter averages three calls per week. When a call is received, the volunteer will verify the information or message and send the message to the appropriate military authority or family member. All of this is done by telephone. This is an ideal volunteer opportunity for a stay-at-home mom, a retiree or someone who is homebound. For more information about volunteering call our office at

1-800-560-7641