INQ341

The State Emergency Management Committee Capability Development Sub Committee develop and implement a strengthened, collective approach to emergency services volunteer workforce planning and capability development to better understand and prepare for the anticipated increased demand for volunteer

The NSW Reconstruction Authority repurpose the funding previously provided for one-off spontaneous volunteering grants to each local council to support a more comprehensive, targeted approach to building community capability to support informal volunteering comprised of:

The State Emergency Management Committee’s Community Engagement Strategy and Action Plan be refreshed to include a stronger focus on building community capability by equipping community with the practical tools and resources needed to respond in an emergency as an informal volunteer.

That to build the capability of member agencies to use informal volunteers and embed this in doctrine and operations, the State Emergency Management Committee:

The State Emergency Management Committee issue guidelines to support member agencies to:
a. Refresh sub and supporting plans to the State Emergency Management Plan (including regional and local emergency management plans) to identify how and when informal volunteers will be used.

The NSW State Emergency Management Plan be updated to recognise and expressly enable the use of informal volunteers as part of emergency management arrangements.

The State Emergency Management Committee develop an Action Plan to grow and strengthen the emergency services volunteering workforce. The Action Plan should be aligned to the NSW Volunteering Strategy’s Focus Areas, and include the development and implementation of:

That NSW update its ‘Become an Emergency Volunteer’ webpage to be a more effective and engaging single-entry point for people seeking information about emergency volunteering opportunities and pathways, support available for emergency volunteers, and how to respond as an informal volunteer.

The State Emergency and Rescue Management Act 1989 and the NSW State Emergency Management Plan be updated to recognise the contribution of emergency volunteers.

The Minister for Emergency Services establish a new state-based emergency volunteering award, to improve recognition of emergency volunteers.

That NSW’s volunteer-based emergency services organisations improve and align data collection in relation to their volunteer workforce, to build a better understanding of the nature and experience of emergency volunteers and support better planning and decision making.

The State Emergency Management Committee consider annually and report via its annual report on the state of the emergency services volunteering workforce, trends in volunteering and implications for capacity and capability.

That NSW develop and prosecute with the Commonwealth Government a platform of priority initiatives and reforms the Commonwealth should pursue to better support emergency volunteering and build community capability, in partnership with other States and Territories.