Flanders launches local volunteer corps to boost crisis preparedness
In an effort to strengthen emergency preparedness in the face of climate change and geopolitical instability, the Flemish government has announced the establishment of municipal volunteer corps throughout the region.
Shortly before the summer recess, the government approved funding to train 80 volunteers in each local unit. These local corps are intended to support professional emergency services.
Volunteers will undergo training to assist in various crisis scenarios, including searching for missing persons, filling sandbags during floods and distributing iodine tablets in the event of a nuclear incident.
"In every crisis there are citizens ready to lend a hand"
"In every crisis, whether it's floods, heatwaves or a power outage in a care home, there are citizens ready to lend a hand," Interior minister Hilde Crevits of CD&V told De Standaard. "We want to encourage this kind of voluntary help and make it scalable for large-scale emergencies."
Critical role
The call to municipalities highlights the critical role that trained civilians can play in emergency response.
"By doing so, we improve our readiness at both the individual and community levels," Crevits' office added. So far, 34 municipalities have committed to the initiative, with the first training sessions due to begin in September.
Red Cross Flanders is responsible for coordinating and training the volunteer units. Anyone aged 16 and over can apply. Volunteers will receive basic first-aid training and an annual refresher course, as well as participating in simulated emergency exercises.
"Mayors will retain full control over the deployment of their local units"
The activation of all volunteer corps will be at the discretion of local authorities, not the regional government. "Mayors will retain full control over the deployment of their local units," Crevits' cabinet said.
Tool for registry
In addition to these organised corps, spontaneous volunteers will continue to be welcomed during emergencies. A new tool is being developed to enable these ad hoc helpers to register quickly and securely via an app that will provide them with instructions. Their personal data will be deleted after each incident.
At the federal level, the BE-Alert system appears to be underused. According to Het Belang van Limburg, the number of people registered with the government's national emergency notification platform remains low, despite the system having been in place since 2017.
BE-Alert allows local and national authorities to send emergency alerts to residents via text message, email or phone call in the event of floods, fires or power outages. In some areas, messages also appear on digital street signage. To date, more than 1.25 million addresses have been registered, with 93 per cent of municipalities enrolled.
#FlandersNewsService | Minister president Matthias Diependaele and Interior minister Hilde Crevits during a training session by Red Cross Flanders © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK
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