CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS!  JOIN EMERGENCY SUPPORT SERVICES (ESS)

The City of Merritt’s Emergency Support Services (ESS) Team recruits year-round for volunteer roles within ESS. Together our volunteers work together to bring forward our people first mandate as we assist our community and those that call upon us during an emergency.

ESS is provincial program and a critical and valued component of the City’s Emergency Program and has been tested and delivered by an incredible team with dedication, drive, and compassion over the years. Volunteers will be provided the necessary training and support, at no cost to them, to assist in working effectively with this team.

Emergency Support Services

ESS provides temporary services including food, clothing, and shelter to preserve the emotional and physical well-being of individuals and families displaced by an emergency. Displaced people may be residents of the local community or request may be made to host evacuees from an outside community. Services may be provided on site, for a small-scale event, or a designated facility for larger responses. ESS generally assists for the initial 72 hours following a disaster or evacuation, but EMBC may authorize assistance beyond the standard 72 hours in extreme cases. The ESS team is overseen by the ESS Director, (2) Deputy Directors and is comprised of volunteers that bring to the program a variety of skills, interests, and knowledge of the community they service and a genuine desire to help those in need. The goal of ESS is to help people begin to re-establish themselves as quickly as possible after an emergency or disaster.

Volunteer Responsibilities

MAY INCLUDE:
  • Coordinating the provision of
    – Food, clothing, and lodging
    – Emotional support
    – Pet care
    – Transportation
  • Family reunification
  • Identifying locations for reception centres and group lodging to house and feed people forced from their homes
  • Working with local businesses, service organizations and government agencies
  • Providing information about the crisis
  • Finding and coordinating other volunteers

Join the Merritt ESS Team!

Training + Regular Meeting
Meets Monthly at 7PM on the 3rd Thursday of every month from Sept-June at the Merritt Civic Centre.

Volunteer Application Requirements

  • Be 16 years of age with parent/guardian consent or, age of majority in BC
  • Complete a criminal record check with the Merritt RCMP (please take the attached letter (page 4) to the local detachment to complete the form); there is no charge for this service
  • Complete the ESS Volunteer Application form (pages 2 & 3)

Return the application form with the criminal record check to City Hall at 2185 Voght Street, Merritt, BC or scan and email: kminar@merritt.ca.

Contact Information

For more information contact, ESS@MERRITT.CA or call 788.921.0189.
ATTN: Krista Minar

Download Application

VISIT EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PAGE

Here’s a sneak peek at one of the Nicola Valley ESS team’s past training sessions. The team completed a live training scenario with support of community actors (adults and kids alike) that played the roles of displaced persons and tested the response capacity of volunteers.
The team has been building up capacity over the past months to help prepare them to respond to the next community emergency or disaster, which has included the onboarding of the Province’s ERA (Evacuation Registration & Assistance) program and developing protocols for fast facility set-ups.