Volunteering

Depending on where you live in Canterbury, your local Council may run a Civil Defence volunteer team.  Becoming a volunteer can be a great way to learn some new skills, give back to your community and form long-lasting friendships. Not only will you learn about the risks and hazards in your area but you will also learn the skills to be able to assist your community during an emergency event.

Formal Civil Defence volunteer teams generally fall into two categories – response teams and emergency support or welfare teams. Response teams usually train and focus on field roles such as general search and rescue, first aid and movement control.  Emergency support roles tend to focus on psychosocial support, needs assessment and the running of Civil Defence Centres.

Establishing, training and maintaining a volunteer team requires a significant amount of time and resource.  As such, not all Councils in Canterbury run Civil Defence volunteer teams, but there are often a wide range of ways in which you can get involved in preparing your communities for an emergency.  Head to our Community Ready section of the website for an overview of the opportunities for communities to take an active role in preparing for emergencies.

The below list provides links to Civil Defence volunteer groups run by Councils in Canterbury: