@article {bnh-8307, title = {Supporting new volunteers: a resource kit for emergency service volunteer leaders}, number = {720}, year = {2022}, month = {01/2022}, institution = {Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC}, address = {Melbourne}, abstract = {

The 2019-20 Australian bushfires ({\textquoteleft}Black Summer{\textquoteright}) caused a spike in volunteer inquiries. The devastating impact the bushfires had on the environment, animal populations, and the homes and livelihood of many Australians prompted considerable interest in volunteering for emergency services. Absent large-scale disasters, attracting and retaining volunteers are major challenges for emergency volunteer brigades, groups, and units (BGUs). However, the aftermath of the 2019-20 bushfires left volunteer leaders and managers with little guidance as to how they can properly onboard, support, lead, and manage the sudden influx of new volunteers and ensure that they are prepared for future bushfire seasons. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic that followed the bushfires shortly after left an increased appetite for online learning as face-to-face training was sometimes not possible.

Following the work of the Enabling Sustainable Emergency Volunteering project[1], as well as through research conducted with the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES), the Supporting New Volunteers: A Resource Kit for Emergency Service Volunteer Leaders was proposed and created with the intention of providing both volunteers and staff members within emergency services organisations the guidance and tools to better support volunteer recruitment, onboarding, and leadership. These are research-based resources designed to complement and reinforce existing training and support available within emergency service organisations.

There are three modules available within the resource kit:

These modules contain resources that drew from real-life volunteer case studies and the available research evidence. The training information includes short (2-4 minute) training videos, volunteer interviews, {\textquoteleft}tip sheets{\textquoteright}, checklists, case studies, thinking exercises, reflection exercises, and editable templates.

It is hoped that these accessible and practical resources will empower and support volunteer leaders and emergency service staff members in their mission to attract, support, manage, and retain current and future volunteers in BGUs.

}, keywords = {emergency service, leaders, resource, training, volunteers}, issn = {720}, author = {Patrick Dunlop and Hawa Farid and Maryl{\`e}ne Gagn{\'e} and Darja Kragt} } @article {bnh-8079, title = {Positive mental health in young adult emergency service personnel}, number = {675}, year = {2021}, month = {06/2021}, pages = {107}, institution = {Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC}, address = {Melbourne}, abstract = {

Overview

Fire and emergency service personnel, particularly those who volunteer, contribute in innumerable ways to their communities and to Australian society more broadly. Engaging in such a role brings the benefits of connecting with like-minded others and a valued sense of contributing to the community, benefiting mental health and wellbeing (Son \& Wilson, 2012). Concurrently, however, fire and emergency service personnel are more likely than the general population to be exposed to potentially traumatic events (PTE), are at higher risk for developing mental health conditions, and are at two-fold increased risk of suicidal ideation (Beyond Blue Ltd., 2018). Therefore, maintaining good mental health for personnel is increasingly recognised as an integral part of the sustainability of the fire and emergency services. Maximising the productivity and retention of younger early-career volunteers is particularly important, given that over half of the current volunteer force across many emergency services (ambulance, fire and rescue, state emergency service) exceeds 55 years of age (Beyond Blue Ltd., 2018). To ensure the sustainability of the fire and emergency services broadly and the volunteer force more specifically, recruitment and retention of younger volunteers is imperative.

While numerous individual, social and organisational factors have been identified as contributing to mental health and, thus, the sustainability of volunteering, mental health support frameworks, along with research and resources for the mental health of fire and emergency service personnel have focused on outcomes across the age range and length of service (Varker et al., 2018), with limited consideration given to developmental factors that may impact initial uptake and engagement. In particular, emerging adulthood (the period between ages 16{\textendash}25 years) is recognised as a specific phase of development that has its own particular constellation of psychosocial and demographic correlates (e.g., identity exploration and openness to possibility; Arnett, 2000). Australian young people tend to access support for mental health difficulties through different means than traditional face-to-face mental health services or programs, including from peers, parents and sourcing information regarding mental health online (Mission Australia \& Black Dog Institute, 2017). Uptake of formal mental health programs (e.g., school counselling) can also be limited (Rickwood et al., 2007). Thus, a {\textquoteleft}one size fits all{\textquoteright} approach to mental health across emergency service personnel may not be acceptable to the younger adult cohort. Of concern, younger volunteers were reported in the AtC study into the mental health of fire and emergency responders in Australia to have higher levels of self-reported psychological distress and lower levels of resilience than older volunteers (Beyond Blue Ltd., 2018). Early intervention is recognised as an essential approach for preventing and minimising mental health conditions (McGorry \& Mei, 2018).

The present research project was developed in response to a call to action from agencies that the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authority Council develop data-driven approaches for supporting mental health, aligned with best practice guidelines and targeted specifically at young fire and emergency service volunteers, supported by practical guidance to agencies for implementing these approaches.

Project Aims and Objectives

The overall aim of the project was to understand what can be done at an individual, local and organisation-wide level to minimise the short- and long-term impacts of potentially traumatising events and to support and promote good mental health and wellbeing for young adult (16{\textendash}25-year-old) volunteers in emergency service organisations.

Specific objectives for the project were as follows:

  1. To summarise the international and national evidence concerning the prevalence of mental health symptoms and/or psychological distress in young fire and emergency service volunteers and individual, social and organisational risk and protective factors for mental health.
  2. To create a summary of self-reported mental health and wellbeing in the context of risk and protective factors among young Australian emergency service personnel using data from the Answering the Call: National Health and Wellbeing Study of Police and Emergency Services and the Metropolitan Fire Service Health and Wellbeing Study.
  3. To develop an understanding of the existing programs and services utilised by young emergency services volunteers to support their mental health and wellbeing following a significant Australian disaster (the 2019{\textendash}2020 bushfires) and during a worldwide pandemic, as well as their perceived usefulness.
  4. To develop an understanding of the current psychosocial safety climate within the Australian emergency service sector as it relates to young fire and emergency service personnel, as well as the mental health programs and supports available to and utilised by these young adults.
  5. To develop an understanding of the young emergency services volunteers{\textquoteright} perspective of perceived facilitators and barriers to accessing relevant mental health services both within and outside the organisation and appropriate sources and type of information that are most likely to be accessed by those volunteers.
  6. To develop a Wellbeing Framework for fire and emergency service organisations to support young adult volunteers{\textquoteright} mental health and wellbeing.
  7. To develop a plain language information guide for supporting mental health and wellbeing targeted at the young adult volunteer cohort.

This report presents information and outcomes for these objectives and provides recommendations for agency-based implementation of the proposed Wellbeing Framework for Young Fire and Emergency Service Volunteers. The outputs of this project are informed by data from this cohort and are aligned with the available evidence for best practice in relevant contexts. It is hoped that the framework and its associated implementation guide will assist agencies in providing informed psychosocial support for the mental health of their young volunteers, thereby contributing to the sustainability of the volunteer service among fire and emergency service agencies. Please note that key terms used throughout the report are defined in the Glossary (Chapter 12).\ 

}, keywords = {emergency service, mental health, personnel, volunteers, young adult}, isbn = {978-0-6452058-0-0}, issn = {675}, author = {Amanda Taylor and Jane Cocks and Sharon Lawn and David Lawrence and Wavne Rikkers and Louise Roberts and Maureen Ashe and Alexander McFarlane and Rachel Roberts and Paul Delfabbro and Holly Caruso and Miranda Van Hooff} } @article {bnh-7972, title = {State Emergency Service (SES): Volunteer views on experiences, wellbeing, and motivations {\textendash} Findings from the Cultural Assessment Tool (CAT) Survey 2019-20}, number = {660}, year = {2021}, month = {04/2021}, institution = {Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC}, address = {MELBOURNE}, abstract = {

In 2017, the University of Western Australia (UWA) began a research collaboration project with the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES), funded by the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre (BNHCRC), to investigate ways to improve the retention rates of their emergency service volunteers. Thus, researchers from UWA and Curtin University collaborated with DFES to develop and administer a Cultural Assessment Tool (CAT) in the form of an online survey from September 2018 to February 2019.

The CAT survey conducted in 18-19 was intended to learn more about the SES volunteering experience from the volunteers{\textquoteright} perspectives. The goal was to obtain information on how to improve volunteer recruitment, retention, wellbeing, and diversity practices within the overall SES volunteering journey. The findings of the 18-19 survey were then used to inform the design of the follow-up CAT survey conducted in 19-20. The key purpose of the 19-20 survey was to assess the current state of volunteering within the SES in 2019 and 2020, in addition to tracking changes in the SES volunteering experience over the last 12 months. The CAT 18-19 findings served as the basis for comparison, such that the 19-20 survey was used to investigate which areas of the volunteering experience have remained the same, improved from the previous year, or have room for improvement.

Survey information

The CAT 19-20 survey was administered on the Qualtrics online survey platform, allowing the research team to collect data from multiple Western Australian regions in a short amount of time. We also offered paper and pencil versions of the survey to volunteers upon request.\ \ 

Individuals who completed the CAT 19-20 survey did so anonymously, to encourage transparency in their responses. In the CAT 18-19 survey, participants were asked to supply their email addresses to be contacted for future research. Of the 398 participants from the 18-19 survey, 307 gave their email addresses. These volunteers were invited to participate in the 19-20 survey and were given three reminders to complete it. The survey was also launched at the Western Australian Fire and Emergency Services (WAFES) conference in September 2019. The survey was later promoted through stakeholder meetings and online means (i.e., volunteer e-newsletters, the DFES online volunteer portal, and Facebook).

There were six main themes in the CAT 19-20 survey, and a total of 90 individual survey questions, plus ten demographic questions.

Compared to the 18-19 survey, the theme of {\textquoteleft}Meeting Expectations{\textquoteright} and the sub-theme {\textquoteleft}Reasons to Join{\textquoteright} were removed due to sufficient information collected from the previous year. However, several open-ended questions were included in the 19-20 survey to measure; any leadership or role changes in the unit, changes in the personal lives of volunteers that affected their ability to volunteer, and any changes in the incluvieness of their unit climates in the last 12 months.

Of the 2033 registered SES volunteers across Western Australia (WA), we received 226 complete responses for the CAT 19-20 survey, with an overall estimated response rate of 11\%. Of the 226, 136 participants had also participated in the CAT 18-19 survey. However, due to incompleteness in the CAT 18-19 survey, the final total number of matched participants for both surveys is 95 respondents. In comparison to 18-19, the survey response rate has reduced from 21\% to 11\%. One possible explanation for the lower response rate in 19-20 is due to the survey overlapping with other SES volunteer surveys being conducted by different organisations using similar timeframes.

The document will now proceed with discussing the participant demographics and findings for the CAT 19-20 survey. This will be followed by a comparison of the findings between the CAT 18-19 and 19-20 surveys. Finally, the document will conclude with key implications; highlighting group differences, key areas of strength, and key opportunities for improvement.

}, keywords = {Cultural Assessment Tool, experiences, motivations, state emergency service, survey, volunteers, wellbeing}, issn = {660}, author = {Hawa Farid and Darja Kragt and Patrick Dunlop and Maryl{\`e}ne Gagn{\'e} and Aleksandra Luksyte and Djurre Holtrop} } @article {bnh-5773, title = {Emergency volunteering 2030: Views from the community sector}, number = {500}, year = {2019}, month = {08/2019}, institution = {Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC}, address = {Melbourne}, abstract = {

This report presents findings from an on-line, qualitative survey of 48 community sector representatives from across the states of Australia. The purpose of the survey was to find out more about the community sector in relation to emergency volunteering and to elicit the views of key community sector representatives about changes in the volunteering landscape that have occurred in the past and are occurring now; and about their visions for a preferred future for community sector volunteering that supports communities before, during and after emergency events.

}, keywords = {Emergency management, emergency volunteering, volunteers}, issn = {500}, author = {Tarn Kruger and Blythe McLennan} } @conference {bnh-6401, title = {Fit for Duty pilot: ensuring the safety of CFA members and increasing access to health services}, booktitle = {Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC Research Day AFAC19}, year = {2019}, month = {12/2019}, address = {Melbourne}, abstract = {

The physically and psychologically demanding nature of the tasks performed by operational firefighters in fire and rescue agencies across Australia place greater risks to health of personnel than in usual circumstances. Evidence demonstrates that individuals with underlying health issues are at greater risk of experiencing a cardiovascular event (heart attack, cardiac arrest, stroke etc.) or physical injury when performing activities of moderate to vigorous intensity. A recent Beyond Blue and Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC survey of emergency services members highlighted a greater number of mental health issues than the average for other areas of employment. Therefore, ensuring that all employees and volunteers are physically and psychologically capable of performing their roles in a safe manner is imperative.

Guaranteeing that individuals have support and access to services that could act to identify early signs and symptoms is critical to this process. The Fit for Duty Program acknowledges that it is not known whether CFA volunteer firefighters are safe to carry out their operational roles from a holistic health perspective and as a result, intervention is required. In the pilot phase of the Fit for Duty program, several approaches were trialled for medical assessments. CFA have partnered with Deakin University to develop task-based physical assessment activities that represent the wider range of tasks required for wildfire firefighting. These activities were reviewed by volunteer members who set the benchmarks for the assessment. It is envisaged that the physical assessment component will be broadened to include other higher risk areas of structural firefighting and technical response. An awareness, education and support approach was adopted for the psychological component which incorporates new and existing CFA Wellbeing education and support programs.

}, keywords = {firefighters, Health, mental health, personnel, volunteers}, url = {https://knowledge.aidr.org.au/resources/australian-journal-of-emergency-management-monograph-series/}, author = {Georgia Thacker and Rohan Luke and Emma Court} } @mastersthesis {bnh-5695, title = {Valuing volunteers: better understanding the primary motives for volunteering in Australian emergency services}, volume = {Master of Philosophy}, year = {2019}, month = {06/2019}, school = {University of Wollongong}, address = {Wollongong}, abstract = {

Volunteers are the lifeblood of emergency services in Australia, and are integral to the nation{\textquoteright}s emergency management capabilities and overall disaster resilience. The concurrence of an increase in the risks posed by a range of climate change-related natural hazards and a decline in formal volunteering rates threatens Australia{\textquoteright}s emergency preparedness.

The Valuing Volunteers Study aims to provide a better understanding of the primary motives for formal volunteering in Australian emergency services, and the broader contemporary influences on such important civic participation. The research aims to generate evidence-based outputs that inform policies and practices, with the ultimate goal of maximising the retention of emergency service volunteers.

}, keywords = {Community safety, Emergency management, emergency services, SES volunteers, volunteers}, url = {https://apo.org.au/node/244761}, author = {Bill Calcutt} } @mastersthesis {bnh-6491, title = {Disaster Resilient Communities: Engagement with Spontaneous Volunteer Groups}, volume = {Masters of Environments}, year = {2016}, month = {06/2016}, school = {University of Melbourne}, type = {Masters}, address = {Melbourne}, abstract = {

This study tackles the confliction between the willingness of the altruistic to assist in times of disaster against the capacity of the emergency management system to effective utilise the human resource effectively. The aim is to investigate the role of Spontaneous Volunteer Groups (SVGs) in strengthening community disaster resilience through a qualitative, context-driven research approach from a pragmatist viewpoint utilising open-ended questions. This approach is problem-driven occurring in the particular context of severe disaster events where traditional services are often overwhelmed and resources stressed. The data was collected from interviewees who have contributed significantly to the emergency management sector. The interviews were recorded, stored, analysed and emergent generalised and specific themes discussed in reference to the criteria set out in the national 2015 Spontaneous Volunteer Strategy.
The study contends that if the Australian community and emergency management sector are serious in achieving a society able to genuinely share responsibilities for resilience to disasters, and build community capacity, then the following should be promoted: inclusiveness {\textendash} including allowing SVGs to self-organise; power-sharing; transparency; engagement with volunteer motivations ; flexible volunteering models ; preparedness to manage volunteer emergence; disaster education and training, activities identification within all disaster phases; forming strong and lasting community links; addressing risk and liability; developing on-the-spot training procedures; sharing information , skills and knowledge; communication clarity; key liaisons; altering mindsets; social media engagement and essentially developing plans and actionable procedures for empowering people to demonstrate their resilience. Currently this path can be a difficult one to follow, despite its promotion with many national strategies, due to restrictions, barriers and complexities within the sector.
The expanded upon strategy can assist the government and Emergency Service Agencies (ESAs), in the face of limited policy, to recognise their responsibilities to operate together and engage meaningfully with alternative forms of assistance in a less restrictive emergency management system, to promote optimal protection of communities from future disasters. In complex environments ESAs must demonstrate flexibility to efficiently adapt, change and restore new and more resilient function to communities.

}, keywords = {communities, disasters, Emergency management, resilience, spontaneous volunteers, volunteer groups, volunteers}, url = {http://hdl.handle.net/11343/229442}, author = {Gemma Gray} }