Volunteering with VICSES doesn't have to involve lights and sirens. Roles involving finance, media, incident management and community education provide essential assistance to units.
Finance
Managing and preparing finances is an important role that must be undertaken at each unit. This includes managing budgets, preparing financial reports, undertaking annual audits and reporting to unit management teams on the health of a unit’s financial position.
Media
Many units use Facebook and Twitter and also have a website to interact with their local community. Use your skills to help your unit maintain a social media presence. Some volunteers are also called on to speak to print media about jobs they have responded to, and media training is provided.
Incident management
Incident management involves providing support to a unit during an incident, which could be a one-off job or a series of jobs during a large-scale weather event. This includes:
- Creating and maintaining unit rosters during medium to large scale events
- Prioritising calls for assistance
- Despatching crews to respond to requests for assistance
Community education
VICSES engages directly with communities, educating Victorians on how to prepare for natural hazards. Programs are aimed at building resilient communities that are less affected by flood, storm, tsunami and earthquake. Community education is aimed at schools, community groups and the general public and includes talking about:
- What VICSES does
- Key safety programs such as FloodSafe and StormSafe
- How to prepare for severe weather events and what to do afterwards
Become a volunteer
To learn about our units or to register your interest in becoming a volunteer with us, find your nearest VICSES unit and submit an enquiry using our online form.