Emergency Assistance

The American Red Cross is in Building 1B and offers emergency services to Naval Station Rota, along with health and safety education. They also provide various volunteer programs and opportunities.

Our normal office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:00p.m., Monday through Friday. We can be contacted at DSN 727-2333, or Rota@redcross.org After-hours emergency service is also available 24 hours a day by calling the Naval Station Rota Quarterdeck at 011-34-956-82-3560, as well as the Hero Care Center 24/7/365 at 877-272-7337 What the American Red Cross does:

We assist the command, service members, and DOD civilians (OCONUS) with Emergency Communication Messages, though leave approval is at the discretion of the command.

We also help with upgrading Space-Available Transportation for emergency leave, collaborate with the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society to provide assistance, and offer various training courses such as First Aid and CPR/AED, Instructor Training, Babysitter Training, and more.

Additionally, there are opportunities for volunteer work in our main office, Naval Hospital, library, David Glasgow Farragut Schools, and other locations around Naval Station Rota.

We are an independent non-profit organization. We receive our financial support from voluntary public contributions and from cost-recovery charges for some of our services.

Emergency Leave Information

The American Red Cross is a private, not-for-profit agency, but we do have a charter from Congress that tells us we must aid in times of disaster and must be the official communications link between service members and their families.

Emergency messages are third party objective verification of emergency situations by the American Red Cross. Emergencies include death of a family member, a serious illness, a birth announcement, or a request for financial assistance.

We advise that family here and back home have your contact information and know how to reach you. (It's a good idea to ensure that at least three people—such as parents, siblings, and a close friend—know your command and unit address.) If you're going on temporary additional duty (TAD) and it's not classified, be sure to inform your family of your destination and expected return date.

The Red Cross will call for verification to obtain a doctor interpretive statement. It includes a diagnosis, prognosis, present condition, life expectancy and recommendations for presence. Your command will use this information to assist them in making a leave decision.

Loco Parentis and In loco Parentis. That is Latin for "in the place of the parent" or "not in the place of the parent." Most of us were raised by our parents, however, in some cases, due to various reasons, others—like grandparents, uncles, aunts, or even other caregivers—took on the role of raising us. This is referred to as in loco parentis.

It’s important to understand that the military will provide funding for emergency leave for personnel stationed overseas in the event of death, imminent death, serious illness, or surgery that could result in the death of a father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, or anyone who stood in loco parentis, as well as a spouse or the spouse’s father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, or anyone who stood in loco parentis. However, the military will not fund emergency leave for incidents involving non-loco parentis family members. If you or your spouse believe someone qualifies under loco parentis status, it’s crucial to contact your noncommissioned officer in charge to have this information added to your records. This will ensure that if something happens, there will be no confusion or delays in processing emergency leave.

If you have family members living in other countries, the American Red Cross may be able to verify the illness or death of a family member. We can provide verification in countries where we have an American Red Cross office located on a U.S. military base, such as here in Spain. We also have offices in England, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Kuwait, Japan, Korea, Okinawa, American Samoa, Guam, CNMI (Saipan), and the Azores, and can obtain information from these locations.

However, for family members in countries where we no longer have American Red Cross offices, such as the Philippines or Panama, we are generally unable to obtain information. Currently, the American Red Cross has agreements with several countries for verification, including Australia, Austria, Barbados, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Costa Rica, Colombia, the Dominican Republic (only in the Santo Domingo area), Finland, France, Hungary, Jamaica (limited to Kingston, Montego Bay, and St. Catherines), Panama, Poland, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Africa (limited to Pretoria, Johannesburg, and Cape Town), Spain, Thailand (limited to the Bangkok area), and Trinidad and Tobago.

Please be advised that obtaining information from other Red Cross Societies may take longer than it would within the continental United States (CONUS). The U.S. military can fund emergency leave to any location, allowing the service member or family member to return with a death certificate or a Disposition of Remains (DIS). If you provide a statement, there will be no issue. However, if you do not bring back a statement, the cost of the flight will be deducted from your next paycheck.

The Fleet and Family Support Center offers emergency assistance programs.

If you have been sexually assaulted, call the 24-hour crisis hotline at 34-646-407-871 or call the Department of Defense SafeHelpline at 877-995-5247. A Sexual Assault Prevention and Response  advocate will be assigned to you. The advocate will provide you with the information you need, explain to you the required procedures, assist you throughout the course of the process and answer your questions.

Information and Referral is one of the key functions in the Fleet and Family Support Centers. The Naval Station Rota FFSC has an I&R Specialist who can assist you if you have a question, are curious about classes that may be available or have a problem you need to solve even in an emergency situation. Our I&R Specialist can tell you about a wide variety of military and civilian activities, organizations and services available on and off base. If you have a problem or need information and don't know where to start, try us. We'll point you in the right direction. The Fleet and Family Support Center is an efficient way to find information or services that are right for you. For more information on Information and Referral, friend us on Facebook or call us at DSN: 727-3232 off-base: 956-82-3232.

Contact your sponsor or the admin section of your receiving command via letter or telephonically to inquire about reporting procedures. Each command or department has its own reporting procedures. Emergency services are available by calling 911 on base or 956-82-2911 from off base locations. Mental health emergencies are handled by the U.S. Naval Hospital Emergency Room at 956-82-3307/3308.

Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society Volunteer Program

While the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society volunteers help people in need, they also have opportunities to make new friends, develop new skills and share talents in a variety of fields. Some of these include budget for baby counseling, client greeting, casework, public speaking and volunteer management. Volunteers can also help in office administration, publicity or work in the Society Thrift Shop. In return, eligible volunteers can get reimbursement for transportation and child care expenses. To learn more about volunteer opportunities, contact the office at DSN 314-727-1614.

Contact:

• Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society Rota
• PSC 819 Box 23
• FPO AE 09645-0054

Hours: Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Phone: 011-34-956-82-1614
DSN: 314-727-1614
Base Number: 956-82-1614
Email: rota@nmcrs.org
Building 1B, Naval Station Rota

The Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society provides financial, educational and other assistance to service members of the Naval Services of the United States and their eligible family members and survivors when in need. Counseling, loans, grants, various services and referral to other community resources are available to help families.

Programs

Financial Assistance

When you're having trouble meeting urgent financial needs, we may be able to provide an interest-free loan or grant. Through financial counseling, we'll also help you plan for better financial stability. From everyday bills to unexpected expenses, our caseworkers are ready to help. They understand the unique challenges of military life and they're ready to listen and suggest options to bring you needed relief. Our services are completely confidential. Your caseworker will review your financial situation and guide you through helpful resources and budget planning. If you're approved for a loan or grant, you'll get funds right away. There's no application fee and the appointment is completely free. If you need $500 or less, you may be eligible for our Quick Assist Loan.

Quick Assist Loans

Get the urgent funds you need today. When you need money fast, you may qualify for emergency financial assistance through an interest-free loan.

Use it for basic living expenses, temporary needs and family emergencies.

There's no application fee and no appointment needed. You can get up to $500 in minutes. Get the money you need quickly so you can get back to your responsibilities.

To get a Quick Assist Loan, you must:

• Be an active-duty Marine or sailor
• Have enough time left on your contract to repay the loan
• Have no outstanding Society loans
• Have no disciplinary actions in the past six months or pending that impact your pay or rank

Budget for Baby - schedule an appointment for a budget or attend one of our monthly classes for Baby's First Seabag. All attendees, even non-military personnel, who attend the class will receive a handmade sweater or blanket.

Layette - Baby's First Seabags for all Marine Corps and Navy personnel who are perspective or new parents. It consists of $120 worth of baby items.

Coupon - save money with the coupon program. Coupons are valid for six months past the expiration date at overseas commissaries.

Thrift Shop - enables service members and their families to stretch their budgets and purchase used clothing, uniforms and household items at a nominal cost.

Spouse Tuition Aid Program - offers interest-free student loans to eligible spouses of active-duty Marines and sailors stationed overseas who are certificate, undergraduate or graduate degree seeking students.

Visiting Nurse - Nurses are available to make home visits to clients to improve their quality of life by supporting the individual's health issues. Visits are commonly made to new mothers and infants as well as to patients recovering from surgery.