Community Volunteers

Volunteer Opportunity – Resilience Project

Location: East Sussex

Help adults build resilience, boost confidence, and feel safer in their homes.

We’re looking for committed, compassionate volunteers to support our Resilience Project, helping adults across East Sussex regain confidence and develop practical life skills to protect themselves and live more independently.

What You’ll Do

As a Resilience Project Volunteer, you’ll work in pairs to:

• Carry out up to six in-person support sessions with each client (in their home or preferred location)
• Help clients build confidence, life skills, and knowledge to reach personal goals
• Signpost or refer clients to other wellbeing and support services where needed

Who You’ll Be Helping

This service is for adults aged 18 and over who have agreed to take part and could benefit from support to:

• Rebuild resilience
• Improve wellbeing
• Reconnect with their community

We work with people who may be socially isolated, recently bereaved, recovering from illness, or adjusting to a major life change.

What You’ll Get

• Full training including Mandatory Safeguarding
• Ongoing support from our Volunteer Coordinator
• Real impact: help someone feel more confident, connected, and safe
• Be part of a service that puts people first

Who We’re Looking For

• Good listener and strong communicator
• Empathetic and non-judgmental
• Reliable and flexible
• Comfortable working in pairs with people in their homes

Whether you're retired, working part-time, or looking to build experience in community or care roles — if you’ve got the time and heart, we’d love to hear from you.

Get Involved

We’re currently building our team of trained Resilience Volunteers, spaces are limited as this project runs alongside the other scheme that we deliver, so apply early www.esfrs.or/community-volunteers our Volunteer Coordinator Linda Baker 01323 462438 or mobile 07876 133612 or email volunteer@esfrs.org the role is open to over 18’s as we need to complete a DBS check, full training will be provided.

---

East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service Needs You!

Our Community Volunteers make a vital contribution by helping us provide Fire, Water, Education and Road Safety information, practical support, and gathering feedback on our services provided to the local community.           

We have various roles available so, if you would like to find out more about how rewarding being a volunteer can be, please see the role descriptions and information on the links below. Alternatively, please call our Volunteer Coordinator Linda Baker on 01323 462438 or mobile 07876 133612 or email Volunteer@esfrs.org.

The Volunteer scheme was created to support the Service’s work in achieving its vision of ‘safer and more sustainable communities.’  Volunteers make a vital contribution by helping ESFRS to provide fire, road, and water safety messages, as well as supporting the local community, participating in initiatives and local campaigns. 

• Community Fire Station Open Days - helping to run stalls, such as the Heads up, badge-making, Fire Fighters Charity, refreshments, assisting on the interactive activities (e.g., children dressing as firefighters, looking around the fire station, working the fire hose), as well as generating referrals for Home Safety Visits (HSVs).
• ESFRS Campaigns - electrical appliance safety, fireworks safety, cooking safety – distributing relevant information to libraries, schools, community centres and doctors’ surgeries.
• Intelligence gathering - acting as the eyes and ears in their local communities, identifying fire and road safety issues and reporting them to ESFRS to investigate (e.g., fire exits blocked in local shops, petrol cans stored outside).
• Pride/Carnival – showing our communities we support local events and value Equality, Diversity & Inclusion for all whilst handing out safety leaflets and collecting money for Fire Fighters Charity.
• Assisting with Fire and Road safety awareness – supporting local initiatives and activities such as Community Safety Awareness Day, Safer Wealden Partnership Away Day.
• ESFRS Recruitment Campaigns - distributing recruitment materials in relevant areas (e.g., if looking to recruit in Burwash, placing leaflets in libraries, community centres, work premises, stalls at local events).
• Operation Quality Street - Community Safety initiative, where joint agencies target residential areas with specific difficulties and spend the day in the area, talking to residents. Generating Home Safety Visits referrals from residents.
• Safety in Action Weeks - assisting school children to move around the site, acting out fire safety and electrical safety scenarios.
• Taking part in large-scale joint training exercises - simulated events rail crash, fire in a secure residential centre, fire in underground tourist attraction.  Volunteers act as injured casualties/concerned bystanders/interfering relatives, helping to make the scenarios as realistic as possible.
• Electric Blanket Testing - help set up the venues in advance, welcoming attendees, take details of attendees, generate HSV referrals.
• Summer Fun and Safety Days - assisting organisers set-up, welcome parents and children, help run sports and arts activities, generating HSV referrals.
• 999 Emergency Services Weekends - assisting ESFRS with running their stalls e.g., badge-making stall, Heads Up stall, helping children to sit in the fire appliances, generate HSV referrals.

East Sussex Fire & Rescue are proud that our volunteers come from a variety of backgrounds and have varying abilities and are able to assist at many events, as well as fundraising activities.

---