EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT VOLUNTEERS
Volunteers Overview
Natural, human-caused and technological emergencies and disasters are common occurrences in Australia. Fortunately we have many thousands of dedicated individuals who are willing to give their time freely and even risk their lives in order to maintain community safety or help communities recover from such tragic events.
Volunteers are a vital and significant component of our emergency management and community recovery organisations. In times of need, they are always there.
The International Year of Volunteers (2001) provided the framework for an increased focus on volunteers and volunteer issues within the sphere of emergency management.
Emergency management agencies within all States and Territories implemented numerous projects and activities to celebrate IYV and to recognize the contribution that volunteers make to community safety. At the federal level there was also considerable activity with two significant events being the National Volunteers Summit and the creation of the Australian Emergency Management Volunteer Forum.
More recently there has been the Volunteer Training and Development Scholarships and the Volunteers in Action Photographic Competition. These pages of the website have been developed to help emergency management volunteers and their managers stay in touch with some of the developments that have occurred.
Contact EMA by email at volunteers@ema.gov.au or postal address at Emergency Management Australia, PO Box 1020, Dickson ACT 2602 Australia
Australian Emergency Management Volunteer Forum
An Australian Emergency Management Volunteer Forum was formed as a result of a recommendation emanating from the National Volunteer Summit, which was held in Canberra in October 2001, as part of the International Year of Volunteers.
The inaugural meeting was held on 11 April 2002, at which the purpose of the Australian Emergency Management Volunteer Forum was determined to be:
A national forum representative of the volunteer emergency management sector, to facilitate better communication between the organizations within it, and to provide advocacy for the sector.
The objectives of the Forum are:
- To foster communication between one another and with Government.
- To share information.
- To provide advocacy, particularly on behalf of the non-government organisations.
- To focus on the issues of Recognition, Training, Legal Protection and Funding.
The membership includes:
- St Vincent de Paul
- St John Ambulance Australia
- Australian Red Cross
- State Emergency Services Volunteer Association
- Australian Council of State Emergency Services
- ADRA Australia
- Australasian Fire Authorities Council
- Australasian Volunteer Firefighters Association
- Volunteer Ambulance Officers Association
- ANGLICARE
- Surf Lifesaving Australia
- Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol
- Australian Volunteer Coast Guard
- Volunteer Rescue Association
- The Salvation Army
- Volunteering Australia
- Australian Institue Emergency Services
- Emergency Management Australia (ex-officio)
The Australian Emergency Management Volunteer Forum: http://www.aemvf.org.au/