About this service
The British Red Cross responds to hundreds of UK emergencies every year - from major floods to house fires and transport accidents. Our trained volunteers are always available to help, working closely with the emergency services, local authorities and other agencies to support their work responding to crises.
About this role
Community Reserve Volunteers help their local community during a major emergency. They form a network of like-minded people who the British Red Cross can call upon when we need additional support during an emergency.
This role is perfect for people who want to do their bit but do not wish to commit to regular volunteering.
Typical tasks include:
> filling sandbags
> clearing roads and paths
> moving furniture upstairs in houses before a flood
> sorting essential supplies and stock
> administration
> helping teams carry and/or load equipment.
Please not that not all of these tasks are exhaustive.
It is possible for Community Reserve Volunteers to be deployed in other roles. This will depend on the emergency and the need but will only occur following a recorded risk assessment. The decision to deploy Community Reserve Volunteers for additional tasks outside of their expected roles sits with the most senior operations manager for the response. Regardless of the role, volunteers will always receive appropriate briefing and supervision.
No specialist skills are required and when an emergency strikes in your area you can choose whether to volunteer with us or not. You can leave us at any time with a single text or email.
There is no minimum time commitment.
What we are looking for:
Someone who:
> Is willing to uphold the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and adhere to the Society’s Equal Opportunities Policy
> is 18 years old or over
> lives in the UK
> has access to a phone that can send and receive SMS (text) messages
> is fit enough to undertake basic manual tasks as stated in the typical tasks above
County wide
If you wish to sign up for this role, you will need to view our short online training video to ensure you stay safe in your volunteering role.
For more information about the role, the requirements and the training available, please see:
http://www.redcross.org.uk/reserves
If you have any questions, please contact:
reserves@redcross.org.uk
Additional information
Community Reserve Volunteers will only be called upon when a large incident occurs in their local area. As a result, you may never be called to deploy or you may be deployed very infrequently. On each occasion you can chose whether to accept or ignore our invitation to help.
Recognition of Quality Volunteer Experience
