Want to play a part in emergency response? Response team members wanted

Civil Defence Emergency Management has sent out the call for budding response team members around the city.

An information evening, to be held on Friday 20 February in Wigram, will highlight the vital work response teams and their support teams conduct in emergency situations.

After attending the information evening, prospective recruits will be invited to attend a selection day. This will involve a basic physical assessment for those joining response teams. There are a range of roles in emergency management however, and not all require physical assessments.

“Selection day entails a mix of team activities and learning basic responder skills. For us as team leaders, we want to put people under a bit of pressure, see how they work with others and see how well they can learn and apply new skills,” Response Team 10 Team Leader Matthew Crook says.

Recruits will then be invited to join a team, where they will join as a probationary member. After gaining experience through courses and training exercises, they will become a fully-fledged member.

“Training is a mixture of organised team training and formal courses. Team trainings encompass a wide variety of skills including first aid, ropes, lowering stretchers, Civil Defence Centres and more.

“The formal courses provide opportunities to learn skills such as working in floodwaters, rope access systems for repairs, the CIMS structure, and more,” Matthew says.

During emergencies, response teams carry out a wide variety of roles, including welfare checks, reconnaissance, evacuations, and cordon management.

“It’s commonly said people enjoy it as a way to give back to their community, but I think of it slightly differently. I see it as a chance to feel a part of the city, not another person who just lives here.

“I love Christchurch and want to do my part to keep it such a cool place to live. Joining the teams is a great way to learn heaps of new skills, including skills people might not get the chance to learn in their regular jobs. Leadership, decision making, teamwork, operating with other emergency services, working at heights – just loads of interesting things,” he says.

The information evening will take place on Friday 20 February, starting at 7pm at the response base located at 25 Kilronan Place, Wigram.

Please register your interest in advance by emailing recruitment.nzrt.chch@gmail.com to give the team an idea of participants – however, you won’t be turned away on the night if you can’t register in time.