Red Cross aims to recruit in its emergency services team

THE Lismore branch of the Australian Red Cross is calling on volunteers to join its emergency services team by taking part in a vital two-day training program which focuses on emotional support during disasters and ongoing recovery efforts.

It will be held over consecutive Wednesdays at the Lismore Red Cross office at Keen Street on June 18 and 25.

The program is part of the Northern Rivers Resilience and Recovery project which has seen community-led resilience teams helping individuals and groups prepare for future disasters.

Participants will be trained under the emergency management framework with its main goal to provide psychological first aid training.

Lismore recovery and resilience officer Jasmin Jones-Calvert said trainees learn the tools required to provide immediate and ongoing support after disasters.

“There is a definite need for more volunteers in the region and we’re aiming to address that,” she said.

“The Red Cross works in all stages of preparedness, response, recovery and prevention.

“We help people prepare their homes before emergencies and we’re usually at evacuation and recovery centres offering personal support.”

Plans to run the training program have been in place for six months after it was pushed back during the extreme weather event of Ex Tropical Cyclone Alfred in March.

Resilience and training programs have ramped up since the devastating floods in 2022, with some residents across the region affected by multiple disasters.

“Volunteers can choose what role suits them best, some might only be able to help in the response phase,” Ms Jones-Calvert said.

“Every disaster just compounds a previous experience and we’re dealing with people that have been through the worst of it.

“We’re those neutral people who are there to talk to anybody who needs us and to listen to what they might need moving forward.

“All our representatives are trained in psychological response and that’s really the area we want to boost.”

The training runs from 9.30am-4pm with anyone interested to email [email protected]