Emergency Response Massage International

The Annual APCO/NENA Joint State Conference will be held September 12-15 at the Seatrails Conference Center in Sunset Beach, NC. Any NC or SC members interested in working need to contact Abbie Yandle info@ermassage.org or 704-763-6099. As we have more information on vendor hours we will be updating the website. This is a great and fun way to meet your 4 hour obligation and have some play time at the coast!

James Charlesworth, considered to be the creator of Emergency Response Massage, died on June 1st, after a long battle with cancer.  All Emergency Response Massage teams were born out of his first efforts in 1989. He explained his first experience.

"A couple of days after the Loma Prieta earthquake shook us in the San Francisco Bay Area; I was sitting at my desk feeling detached and confused. I had noticed that students, staff and the general public were experiencing a lot of numbness and an inability to concentrate. At the same time, I wanted to do something that would help to alleviate these feelings and be more proactive. Doing massage therapy was the logical way for me, as a therapist, to contribute and help me cope with the effects of the earthquake. I called my American Red Cross Chapter, and spoke with Nancy Blackman, R.N. She was coordinating the Disaster Health Services, whose staff had already been working 72 hours, nonstop. Ms. Blackman was reticent about having massage therapists come to her chapter, since she did not remember massage volunteers coming to assist before.

That night, I went over to the Oakland Chapter, thinking I would spend an hour discussing the possibilities and giving some demonstrations. Five hours later, I left, having massaged many of the most crucial staff, who lavished their praise about the regenerating powers of massage therapy. The vision for massage at disasters grew from this initial experience. In the following days, by coordinating a full-scale massage emergency response for the National Holistic Institute, we gave over 8,000 massages to rescue workers and victims, in five locations. The nourishing effect on the spirit of the recipients and massage therapists, alike, was fantastic."

He will be deeply missed by all who have given their time to help others after a disaster/critical event.  Rest in peace dear friend.