Following a major emergency or disaster, trained volunteers can make a big difference in their community or neighboring communities, supporting the provision of essential services to individuals, families and response workers. Volunteers are also effective champions of emergency preparedness. If you would like to volunteer in your community, we welcome your participation and encourage you to contact us.

There are several ways to volunteer:

1. General Emergency Volunteers may assist with traffic control, evacuations, and other tasks as directed by the Emergency Operations Centre.
2. Social Media Volunteers work under the direction of the SLRD Public Information Officer to provide current and accurate information via Facebook and Twitter, and to monitor media for emerging issues.
3. Emergency Support Services (ESS) Volunteers work to support individuals and families displaced by emergency events, and work closely with partner ESS programs in neighboring municipalities. Sometimes, this is supporting a single family displaced by a house fire. Other times, it means working at reception centres or group lodging locations. 
4. Rapid Damage Assessment Team (RDAT) Volunteers need a general understanding of building construction, of personal emergency preparedness, and risk in the SLRD such as flooding and wind storms. Volunteers receive training to identify unsafe conditions in wood frame, masonry and concrete construction as a result of disaster damage.  
5. Emergency Operations Centre Volunteers have a background or some training in emergency management or incident command systems.
6. Volunteer Firefighters require a basic level of fitness and good health, plus an interest in learning, participating and being a part of a great team. Visit our Local Fire Service Volunteering page for more information.
7. FireSmart Community Champions make a difference in wildfire risk reduction in their communities through the Canadian FireSmart program. More information at: firesmartcanada.ca and firesmartbc.ca.
8. Public Safety Lifeline Volunteers are registered with Emergency Management BC and do everything from leading air and ground searches and helping the victims of serious car accidents to setting up networks of volunteer teams and coordinating services for victims of natural disasters. There are more than 13,000 volunteers in communities across B.C.