Emergency services have begun looking for the volunteers who could help them cope if disaster ever strikes the district.


Responsibility for co-ordinating the response to a major incident lies in the hands of Epping Forest District Council, which would liaise with the emergency services.

Between them they have launched a training scheme for members of the public who could help out in the event of a disastrous flood, fire, road accident, or other civil emergency on their doorstep.

Tom Knibbs, the council’s Joint Emergency Planning Officer, said: “Even though natural disasters and emergencies are very rare in the district emergency services do become stretched when they are called out.

“This is where volunteers could come in and help.

"The emergency services have to prioritise saving lives but there are many other jobs to be done.

“We are very fortunate in that a lot of the training is done in house and there are a lot of people involved in this, offering little bits here and there.”

The scheme is called the Community Emergency Response Volunteer Initiative, and it is modelled on a scheme which helped the authorities in Cornwall cope with widespread floods in recent years.

Among the duties that volunteers would be asked to help with are getting people to safety, controlling crowds and handling the equipment needed to secure a scene.

Jacqui Foile, the chief officer for Voluntary Action Epping Forest, said that the scheme would also help young people looking to pursue a career with the emergency services.

She added: “If you are thinking of a career in blue light services this could give you great experience.

“This scheme is fantastic because I think that often people want to help, but they aren’t sure of what to do.

“There is a role for everybody, even if it is just calming people down and helping that way it gives the emergency services one less thing to deal with.”

To get involved, or find out more, go to www.cerv.co.uk.