Help your community

There are many ways to safely support your community before, during and after an emergency.

Getting involved with voluntary and community groups allows you to help others in your local area, while learning new skills and building friendships.

You can also talk to your friends, family and neighbours about preparing for emergencies, and check in on them when an emergency happens to see if they need support.

Here’s Ready Scotland’s guide to some of the different ways you can get involved based on your availability and the skills you have or want to develop.

Sharing information

Getting timely and accurate information to people before or during emergency situations will help them to prepare for disruption and know where they can get the right support:

• speak to your friends, family and neighbours about the advice on Ready Scotland and pass on information about the support available
• consider creating an instant messaging group or other closed online social network for your street or building – these can be an important source of information and support during an emergency
• be careful to only share information from trusted sources

Your community

Helping your community to prepare for risks and to respond when disruption occurs will help to reduce the impact of these events and support your community’s recovery too. Here’s how:

• contact your local Community Council to find out more about how it supports local residents through challenging times and how you can get involved. Many Community Councils also have an emergency plan, which helps them to consider their local risks and the resources within their community
• your community may have a Neighbourhood Watch Group, or you could consider setting up a new group, bringing together like-minded people
• Other local groups, including food banks and welfare support groups are always in need of committed volunteers. Volunteer Scotland has a wealth of information about opportunities within local and national groups

Communities around Scotland help each other through emergencies in many different ways. Here are a few examples:

• clearing local access paths of snow and ice and putting down grit, if you’re fit, well and able
• helping neighbours to install household flood protection, such as laying out sandbags or putting up flood barriers
• checking up on relatives or neighbours who might need help during a power cut

Volunteer responders

Whether practical, medical or emotional support, or assisting with search and rescue or transport services, specialist voluntary organisations like the British Red Cross, St Andrews First Aid or Scottish Mountain Rescue make a huge contribution during emergencies:

• go directly to the volunteer responder organisations that interest you and best suit your skills
• search for Reserve Volunteer opportunities through the British Red Cross
• search for more general volunteer vacancies through Volunteer Scotland

Emergency response activities can be complex and dangerous. Don’t put yourself at risk and only join the response if you are asked to do so by the emergency service or other statutory or voluntary sector responder organisation coordinating the activity.

Emergency services

Volunteer, reserve and retained posts with the emergency services are challenging and highly rewarding. These roles can be a route into a career in the emergency services and are vital to the safety and security of local communities across Scotland.

For example, you could become a:

• Community First Responder with Scottish Ambulance Services
• Retained Fire Fighter with Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
• Special Constable with Police Scotland
• volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officer
• Mountain Rescue volunteer