Review of Emergency Volunteering
In March 2022, the NSW Government commissioned an Independent Inquiry into the preparation for, causes of, response to and recovery from the 2022 catastrophic flood events that impacted communities across the State. A Parliamentary Inquiry on the Response to Major Flooding across New South Wales in 2022 was initiated shortly after.
Recommendation 6 of the Independent Flood Inquiry included that “to plan for volunteerism into the future, the State Emergency Management Committee commission a review of emergency services volunteerism in NSW, acknowledging it is essential to the state’s emergency response to protect life and property. The review needs to recommend a way forward for emergency volunteer agencies to respond to declining formal volunteerism and to make use of Community First Responders”.
The Premier's Department, on behalf of the State Emergency Management Committee, undertook this Review to provide advice to the Minister of Emergency Services on the current state of emergency volunteering in NSW and preparing for the future of emergency volunteering.
Consultation
The Review was developed in collaboration with NSW Government agencies and emergencies services organisations involved in emergency volunteering.
It has been informed by a program of consultation with current and former emergency volunteers who shared their insights and experiences and the general community who are served by a range of emergency volunteers across the state.
More than 4,000 people across NSW engaged with the Review, from group interviews and discussions to online surveys and a Have Your Say feedback page.
Report Recommendations
The Review of Emergency Volunteering made 13 recommendations for the State Emergency Management Committee and its member agencies to support NSW to be more prepared for the future of emergency volunteering.
The review made recommendations to improve:
- how we recognise the contribution of both volunteers with our emergency services, and informal volunteers who stand up during disasters;
- how we engage with informal volunteers, and better integrate them into the emergency management framework;
- how we collect and report data on our emergency volunteering workforce; and
- how we recruit and retain our emergency volunteers.
The recommendations from the review are now being addressed and overseen by the State Emergency Management Committee.
