Battle Town Council calls for volunteers to help in pandemic and emergencies

Many towns, villages and cities have a resilience plan in place, which brings together a group of local individuals who can complement the work of the emergency services at a time where their capacity may be stretched.

Cllr Glenna Favell, chairman of the council, said: “I urge residents to consider registering their details. Any requests for support from the emergency services can then be quickly cascaded to appropriate local people, who could make a real difference towards a positive outcome.”

Such a situation where community involvement would make a difference could be something such as a lost child or vulnerable adult, a pandemic, loss of utilities, or any situation where the availability of emergency services is reduced. People can become the team co-ordinator, who is the focal point for the community in response to an incident or train to be a team member, working with the team coordinator to activate the support of the community, as well as become a general volunteer.

A spokesman for the council said: “We are hoping hundreds of people will come forward to do this. This would mainly be looking after the welfare of people, for example cooking a meal for someone, putting someone up for the night, assisting at an emergency centre, joining a search party, knocking on doors in an evacuation situation, contacting people in a flu epidemic. If you have special skills, access to tools or transport then please let us know.”

Anyone interested in joining or would like more information can email [email protected], ring 01424 772210, or visit www.battletowncouncil.gov.uk.