Mayor calls for ?sexy? volunteering
By Jamie Melbourne-Hayward
Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast is backing resurgent efforts to bolster emergency preparedness in the Capital ? including raising the profile of civil defence and making ?it a bit more sexy". In light of Volunteer Awareness week the Wellington City Council is asking residents to consider taking up roles as civil-defence volunteers. ?A lot of people find [volunteering] a dry, rather boring, topic. It was agreed that the City Council should make more effort to make civil defence more sexy.? Mrs Prendergast says volunteering and individual preparation will be crucial if the city and region is to quickly bounce back from a major earthquake or other disruptive emergencies. The council are currently discussing the restructure of Wellington City Council's emergency management office and concerns about the state of civil defence in the city. Of her provocative statement Mrs Prendergast says, "Some might find that amusing, or feel we are trivialising civil defence by saying such a thing. ?But there's a deadly-serious intent behind trying to make civil defence sexier ? to get far more people involved as volunteers and more families aware of the need to be prepared for a major earthquake or some other large-scale emergency,? says Mrs Prendergast. She's inviting anyone with an interest in civil defence and emergency management to get in touch with the City Council's emergency management office. "The Council's Civil Defence Controller, Mike Mendonca, is very open in his opinion that he is not satisfied with the current state of emergency preparedness in the Capital and that he wants improvements. "I totally support Mike's initiatives and his reorganisation of the office,? she says. Mr Mendonca says all volunteers are subject to a police check because of the public safety and property-security implications involved with a major emergency ? especially one involving evacuations. Volunteers would principally be involved in running civil defence centres around the city, and acting as the local 'eyes and ears' for emergency management office staff and the emergency services. "Volunteers provide information about what's going on in neighbourhoods so the emergency management office can prioritise staff and resources. ?They are a crucial element of the emergency response,? he says. The Civil Defence number is (04) 460 0650, and visit?volunteernow.org.nz
