Emerald Emergency Support Team

Project Summary

The Emergency Support Team (EST) is a group of trained and identified community volunteers who activate to provide leadership and support for the people living in the Emerald area within the first 24 -72 hours post a major emergency. EST also supports first responders and residents in widespread local emergencies like storms, power outages, etc.

Background and Situation Context

The EST is a community-led group consisting of local volunteers. After the Echo Youth and Family Services experience at Whittlesea post the 2009 fires, people recognised that immediately after a disaster event there were few established community-based mechanisms designed to begin the work of assisting a community to organise itself to help its people respond locally. External agencies and organisations will eventually arrive. However, possible damage to local access routes could create difficulties for external services that could take days to organise and deploy effectively. In the meantime, EST serves to mitigate against potential fracture lines establishing a foothold and so attends to the critical first 24-72 hours following a major emergency.

A significant event activates EST for the Emerald community and establishes a temporary Community Support Hub wherever people need help. EST volunteers work in teams to establish care in areas where an emergency temporarily displaces people; set-up communication with other agencies and groups, provide personal support for community members, and undertake initial provision of primary care such as drinking water and food. In addition, EST provides initial animal care, appropriate information and updates, and logistics support for a Temporary Community Support Hub. EST does not replace existing emergency response activities.

An outlines of the current chain of responsibility for disaster relief and recovery operations in Victoria

Activities

The EST responds to events affecting the township of Emerald. Nearby communities have made requests to EST to help develop a similar capability. Over the last few years, an increase in events activated EST to respond to community emergency needs after the following events

• 2011 Loddon area floods

- EST provided recreational activities for families and children in the Boort area following severe flooding.

• 2016 storm event

- EST provided catering (1500 meals) for SES, CFA, Parks and Police crews deployed because of storm damage across the region.

• 2017 Heavy rain event

- EST operated a sandbag filling station that provided a few hundred sandbags to local residents who were experiencing local flooding of homes and property.

To prepare for such events, EST volunteers meet and train regularly, owns a fully equipped support trailer and recently received funding for a second dedicated Catering Support Trailer.

Results

The EST provides community volunteers with the ability to train for and then play an active, on-the-ground role post a major emergency event. Training includes Level 2 First Aid, Psychological First Aid and regular operational training, including local and municipal exercises. Effective community and individual resilience relies on involvement and EST provides a mechanism for involvement in and ownership of this process by community members. EST provides a mechanism for people to volunteer and become part of the broader resilience effort at a local level as well as helping ensure that post disaster recovery be affected positively by its existence and inputs

We now know that there is a direct link between volunteerism and community health. Volunteering Victoria and Dr Rob Gordon have researched the impact of the level of volunteerism and community health. The level of volunteerism or uptake of volunteer positions in a community can reflect resilience and community capacity with respect to recovery. EST adopts a low-key approach for community volunteers to volunteer and play an active role in their community in an ongoing basis.

EST gathers information at a local level and passes it on to emergency service agencies both before and after an emergency. EST remains in place once the emergency service agencies depart and provides a link between the community and future recovery initiatives to keep working alongside to help lead the recovery process.

Awards

2014 Resilient Australia Award -State Award

2016 Cardinia Shire Council Appreciation Award

Reflection

EST learning to date includes

• EST empowers community members to get involved, who for a range of reasons, may not volunteer in traditional/formal emergency service agencies. Community volunteers have a valuable contribution they want and can make.  We have learned that EST provides an ideal mechanism for local people to participate in a way that suits their level of ability and resources at a particular time.
• While EST was developed for the purposes of responding to community needs after a major emergency event, we have also learned it is an important outlet for community volunteers to connect better with each other, the wider community and be more mindful of local risks.
• We have found that groups like EST provide a local mechanism for local government to engage the community in the relief/recovery planning processes. Furthermore, EST provides a direct line of access to begin engaging with and disseminating information in the immediate aftermath of a major emergency
• EST provides the ability for local response agencies to redirect members of the public to a trusted group who will not only provide information but also support and care for their personal needs. This approach lessens the need for first responders to focus on people who inevitably arrive at their facilities seeking information and allows them to focus on other issues.

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