As disasters increase across Australia, so does the demand on Australian Red Cross emergency services.
In Queensland, 800 community members bolster our emergency service response during disasters and times of crisis, but more are needed.
Volunteers are vital in delivering a service that not only supports people in their own communities but often in other states and territories when our teams deploy to be on the ground where they are needed most.
Jessica Smith joined Australian Red Cross as an emergency services volunteer in 2018, after becoming a mother and finding herself wanting to reconnect with her community.
“Being a mum to small kids, I felt like I’d started to lose a bit of who I was, I wanted to feel reconnected to my identity and do something I was passionate about,” Jessica said.
“I did whatever I needed to do to help people. I would hold babies while their mother filled out paperwork, I would help people work out exactly who they needed to speak to.”
Volunteering offers both the chance to help others and to meet like-minded people. Jessica forged life-long friendships while volunteering and met her partner during an activation for the Queensland floods in 2022.
“The vibe was electric. It was inclusive and joyful because we were all there with the same heart – we were there to help others.”
Australian Red Cross Emergency Services assist individuals and communities to prepare for, cope with, and manage the psychosocial impacts of emergencies – and right now we need volunteers more than ever.
Volunteers gain access to internationally and nationally developed training to undertake their roles, including psychological first aid, community engagement and development, preparedness, and recovery.
There are more than 3400 Australian Red Cross emergency services volunteers around the country who are vital in providing critical support to communities need when disaster strikes.
Becoming an Australian Red Cross volunteers means joining a movement that has been responding to emergencies and providing humanitarian assistance in Australia since 1914.
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