- Do you care about your local community and want to help support people to continue to live independently at home?
- Are you interested in supporting us spread the word to local communities on keeping safe from fire and road traffic incidents?
Our Community Volunteers make a vital contribution by helping us provide fire and road safety information and practical support to the local community.
We are looking to encourage more volunteers to support our already successful teams active throughout East Sussex and the City of Brighton & Hove.
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 us on:
You can find out more about our Community Volunteers by looking on: www.facebook.com/esfrscommunityvolunteers
The Community Volunteers’ Scheme has continued to support our communities and partner agencies throughout Covid, we are now looking forward to returning to support the service with the delivery of key prevention messages.
The 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 Black Museum, badge-making, Fire Fighters Charity, coaching for a safer community goal nets, refreshments, helping operate seatbelt machine, 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).
- Coaching for Retained Duty System (RDS) applicants - two volunteers with teaching background, coach RDS applicants who have previously failed the test to increase their chances of passing. Another volunteer who is a retired firefighter uses his experience to illustrate scenarios for potential recruits.
- ESFRS Campaigns - electrical appliance safety, fireworks safety, cooking safety – distributing information to libraries, schools, community centers and doctors’ surgeries.
- ESFRS presence at community events (e.g., Older People’s Conference, Heathfield Farmers’ market) - have a stall with fire and road safety information and generate HSV referrals.
- 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 - handing out leaflets, collecting money for Fire Fighters Charity.
- Assisting with fire and road safety awareness - raising 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 centers, 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. This generates HSV referrals from residents.
- Safety in Action Weeks - assisting school children to move around the site, acting out fire safety and electrical safety scenarios.
