Volunteers
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 (IYV, 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 recognise 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 (AEMVF).
More recently there have 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.
- Emergency Management Volunteer Employer Recognition Scheme
- Emergency Management Volunteer Contacts
- Volunteers National Photographic Competition 2010
- Volunteers National Photographic Competition 2010 (YouTube website)
- Emergency Management Volunteers Community Awareness Project
- Attorney-General's Thank You to Volunteers (YouTube website)
- National Action Plan for the Attraction, Support and Retention of Emergency Management Volunteers
- Australian Emergency Management Volunteer Forum
- Volunteers Summit