Volunteers in public health and emergency management at outdoor music festivals (part 2) : A european study

Volunteers working at outdoor music festivals (OMFs) throughout the world can be subject to public health risks. To reduce these risks it is important that volunteers have the capacity to undertake their responsibilities safely. For this study, volunteer capacity is discussed at two levels. As a group, adequate volunteer capacity includes having sufficient knowledge, skills and experience to perform designated tasks. Individually, adequate volunteer capacity is having a good awareness of potential problems, an understanding of control measures and knowledge of roles, responsibilities and emergency procedures. This study provides a detailed account of volunteer capacity at a prominent OMF in Europe (referred to as 'study festival' from here on in). On the whole, the volunteers in the study reported good knowledge in public health and emergency management at the study festival with the majority having good volunteer capacity. This volunteer capacity was gained through: tailored training programs offered by the organisers prior to the festival, previous experience volunteering; and a proportion also having experience from the health industry. A similar study was undertaken in Australia and was reported in The Australian Journal of Emergency Management, November 2003 (Earl, Stoneham, Capra, 2003). When the findings from the two studies were compared, the European participants had better overall volunteer capacity. In relation to skills, a notable difference between the two study festivals was that the European volunteers had been given training tailored to meet the demands of the work at that festival. The findings from the European study strongly support the introduction of training programs for volunteers working at OMFs. (AU)

Orange on the scene : The SES media officer program

One of the ongoing challenges in public education is how to manage the sudden - even overwhelming -- media interest that is an inevitable part of a community crisis. The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) has developed an approach that puts them a jump ahead in getting the right information to the public at the right time. This paper examines the use of community-based media officers in the context of a structured media-management plan. It examines the rationale for appointing local-level media officers; the strengths and drawbacks of such an approach; the policies, training, procedures and resources that are part of its implementation; and what's next for the SES media officers' program. (AU)

Urban Search and rescue-developing Australia's capacity

Throughout the world full-time urban fire services are usually tasked with managing the equipment, organisation, personnel, training and deployment of Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Task Forces. While fire services tend to form the core of Task Forces, by necessity they have a multi-agency, multidisciplined structure. A typical USAR Task Force comprises fire service rescue technicians, ambulance paramedics, trauma doctors, structural engineers, search dogs and handlers, fire service hazardous materials specialists, logistics specialists, and fire service commanders. Before terrorism came to prominence with the bombings of the World Trade Center in 1993 and the Alfred P Murrah building in Oklahoma City in 1995, USAR was perceived by many as a capability required solely for events such as earthquakes. Development of USAR capabilities in Australia received renewed impetus following the events of September 11 2001 in the USA, and October 2002 in Bali. Current deployable USAR capabilities are restricted to NSW, Melbourne and Brisbane. Smaller states and territories may be experiencing difficulty financing and supporting development of USAR capabilities. The Australian Government has provided welcome assistance to the states and territories to develop Chemical, Biological and Radiological (CBR) capabilities, but decided not to provide any financial assistance for the development of USAR. It is timely that this decision be reviewed, as history suggests that the likelihood of a major structural collapse is higher than a CBR incident. (AU)

Training can be a recruitment and retention tool for emergency service volunteers

This paper reports the training findings of a larger study of Tasmania's Volunteer Ambulance Officers, the first-line response to medical emergencies in rural and remote areas. They are dwindling resource in an insolated statewith a great need for such services due to its large rural population and numerous tourists. The project surveyed all Tasmanian Volunteer Ambulance Officers and the conduced 10 focus groups. We found that training is important to VAO. It is not a disincentive. If done well, training will be a strategi recruitment and retention tool and will help to stabilise Tasmania's emergency rural health workforce. This research has a wider application for emergency services as they undergo similar changes and pressures related to training volunteers. (AU)