The Role of Red Cross in Community Emergencies

Red Cross has been responding to emergencies and providing humanitarian assistance worldwide since 1863, and in Norfolk Island since 1914. There are two strands to the work done by Red Cross – local branches undertake fundraising to support the work of Red Cross nationally, and many communities (including Norfolk Island) also have a team of emergency services volunteers (ESV’s) who are specially trained to help the community prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies. The two arms of Red Cross work independently of each other and have distinct roles to play.

To become a Red Cross Emergency Services Volunteer, we must complete a one-day training course in Psychological First Aid followed by various online courses and regularly attend local training events. The courses we do cover everything we need to be able to do to help the community in emergencies – set up emergency evacuation centres following international guidelines and protocols as well as the Australian Red Cross requirements for registering people seeking shelter, managing the shelter, and following up vulnerable people to provide ongoing support. Currently, we have a team of 14 community members who are accredited ESV’s with Red Cross.

Our role is to work closely with other first responders such as the health services, police, and welfare support services, with Red Cross having a key role to play. This role is usually written into each Local Government Areas “Disaster Management Plan”, and state governments require that these services undertake combined training and rehearsals every two years to streamline their responses appropriately for the local community.

There are four stages to the activation of our Red Cross ESV team – Alert (EMNI briefs key representatives of relevant community welfare services about a possible emergency); Standby (welfare services teams are confirmed and begin getting ready to respond if required); Activation (welfare services teams are deployed to their locations and prepared to swing into action, as well as remain in place for as long as needed); and Stand Down (welfare services resources are no longer required). Red Cross ESV teams are often maintained on active duty long after the immediate emergency has passed, as we play a key role in providing ongoing support to vulnerable people. In this case, our ESV team may work hand-in-hand with other services, for example, providing ongoing emotional or practical support for people who remain displaced or need extra emotional support.

If emergency shelter is required, such as in the event of a cyclone or earthquake, Red Cross ESV’s are trained to set up and manage these facilities according to the “Preferred Sheltering Practices for Emergency Sheltering in Australia” guidelines. This includes assessing venues in the community to determine their suitability according to the set of minimum standards which are evidence-based and represent consensus on best practice in international humanitarian response, as well as operating the shelter to ensure the safety and basic needs of people using it are met. We use the Red Cross “Register. Find. Reunite” guidelines to ensure every person is registered, their personal needs are attended to such as contacting overseas family, and high standards are maintained to ensure the wellbeing of everyone seeking shelter, especially children and other vulnerable people.

There are five preferred emergency sheltering practices in Australia - they relate to the basic needs of water supply, sanitation, waste management, shelter and space management, and food. The preferred sheltering practices state what needs to be in place to ensure life with dignity under conditions of emergency sheltering. For example, ensuring there is adequate space for people with special needs, safe water supply, and even provision for pets. Most importantly, once a shelter is activated, Red Cross ESV’s will be on hand to provide emotional support during and after the crisis. Currently, the SDA Hall and Church are designated as the preferred shelters, and we are hopeful that Federal funding will be available soon for a purpose-built emergency evacuation shelter for Norfolk Island.

For more information, or if you need help preparing your household or business for emergencies, contact the Team Convenor on 52112.