Badging
The MA MRC Badging Committee developed recommendations for a MA badge template. These recommendations were adopted by a unanimous vote of the MA MRC membership during a conference call in April of 2007. This is not an official MA DPH or federal MRC badge policy, and this template may be adopted by the MRCs if they so choose.
To review a PDF of the badge template, please click here.
Language on Badge Back:
Priscilla Fox, MDPH, provided recommendations regarding the language on the back of the badge. Although some MRCs have designed their badges with a statement on the back about the legal authority of MRC members, her opinion was that the statewide recommendation should be for no statement at all (i.e., blank) for several reasons. First, the Medical Reserve Corps is a federal program under Citizen Corps, but Citizen Corps has not given any direction about badging and apparently has no opinion about any statement on the back of the badge. MRC volunteers are not deployed by MEMA, so there is no justification to refer to legal authority under Chapter 639 of the Acts of 1950 (this is the law under which MEMA operates). Furthermore, although some of the MRCs' funding flows through DPH, DPH does not have direct authority over the MRCs. Finally, MRCs are likely to be deployed in many and varied situations around the state, for both routine situations and disasters. In other words, there is no "one size fits all" model for MRC duties, and therefore no single statement of authority that would necessarily be accurate. She noted that if locally-based MRCs feel that they want a statement of legal authority on their badges, they should consult with the town counsel or city solicitor for guidance on whether a statement is appropriate and if so, what it should say.
Based on this information, the committee decided to adopt alternative language that as seen on MRC badges in Shawnee County (Kansas) and New Mexico:
This badge is the property of
[Unit Name]
If found, please return to:
[Mailing Address/contact info]
Color Coding:
The committee recommended a basic color coding scheme: Red for Medical Personnel; Green for Non-Medical Personnel; and Purple for Mental Health Personnel. Local units could choose their own colors for any other categories they wish to employ (pink for child care, other).
Badge renewals:
The committee recommended using a sticker system for renewal. The badge itself would contain the DAY/MONTH of expiration, while the sticker would state the expiration year. Non-licensed volunteers would renew the badges every two years, while licensed volunteers would renew annually. Expiration stickers (template is also attached) are sent to each unit by request.
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