Volunteering to help in emergencies

Find out about:

Interested in joining BLEVEC and being an emergency volunteer?

If your organisations would like to become a BLEVEC member or you would like to an emergency volunteer then please email us at blrf@bedsfire.gov.uk to arrange a chat about the options available.

Bedfordshire Local Emergency Volunteers Executive Committee (BLEVEC)

The Bedfordshire Local Emergency Volunteers Executive Committee (BLEVEC) is the organisation of the volunteer members of the Bedfordshire Local Resilience Forum (BLRF).

Bedfordshire Local Resilience Forum (BLRF) comprises the county’s emergency services and other key partners such as local authorities, utility companies and volunteers working in partnership to plan, prepare and respond to major incidents.

BLEVEC volunteers are crucial in emergency planning, enabling statutory bodies to understand the preparedness of communities, with close bonds to local communities. BLEVEC utilises people’s willingness to help during a major emergency in a controlled, directed environment across global organisations, local businesses, charities and community teams.

BLEVEC Emergency Response Capabilities Organisations involved in the BLEVEC partnership offer a wide range of support.

Current capabilities

Category Capabilities

Search and Rescue
  • Lowland Search and Rescue - Missing Persons
  • Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) - Collapsed Structures
  • Water Search and Rescue Team - Bank Search/Boat Team
  • Search Dogs

Flood response
  • Flood Response - Equipment and Flood Defenses
  • Water rescue trained volunteers with PPE
  • Boats

Command and control
  • An equipped and deployable Control Vehicles
  • Command and Control Support

Generic response tasks and assisting those affected
  • Leaflet/Letter Drop
  • Door-Knocking
  • Welfare Visits
  • Set-up of an emergency helpline
  • Warning and Informing - Help with getting messages out to a community

Logistics, Transport and Vehicles
  • Logistics Management
  • Assistance with evacuation of an area
  • Land transportation of people, goods or services
  • Transport to medical appointments
  • Transport of critical staff
  • 4x4 Vehicle Support - Off-Road, Winches, Towing, Trailers
  • Asset movement
  • Motorbike Transport

Aircraft and Drones
  • Drones for aerial images, video or surveillance 
  • Aircraft for aerial images, video, surveillance or the transportation of people, goods or services
  • Thermal drones

Food
  • Emergency Food and Refreshments Provision
  • Food shopping and delivery

Donations, storage and distribution
  • Warehouse or other storage facilities
  • Management of physical donations and goods
  • Support with distribution of emergency aid
  • Hygiene kits distribution

Managing financial donations
  • Disaster Appeal Fund - management of cash donations and allocation for funds
  • Emergency cash provision

Volunteers (generic and trained) and First-Aid
  • Volunteers to help out in any task - extra people and staff
  • First-Aiders
  • Spontaneous volunteer management

Mental health and faiths support for adults and children
  • Wellbeing emergency response team 
  • Multi-faiths emergency response team
  • Assisting vulnerable adults
  • Adult Bereavement Services
  • Assisting vulnerable children
  • Childcare Services
  • Child Bereavement Services

Support for animals
  • Animal welfare support
  • Animal evacuation

Advise services
  • Advice Services (Information, Advice and Guidance)
  • Job Placement Assistance
  • Disabilities

Shelter
  • Accommodation support
  • Pop-Up Shelters
  • Emergency Sanitation Facilities

Power and Lighting
  • Temporary Outside Lighting
  • Temporary Power (Generators)
  • Heavy plant machinery

Communications
  • Amateur long range radio communications between two or more locations
  • Licensed radio and emergency communications systems and operators

BLEVEC Member Organisations

This is a list of all current Voluntary and Community Sector Organisations that are Members BLEVEC:

  • ACCM (UK)
  • Advice Central (Central Bedfordshire) & Carers Central (Luton)
  • Age UK Bedfordshire
  • Airbnb.org
  • Airfield Volunteer Fire Service - Shuttleworth
  • AMYA
  • Ascension Trust
  • Bedford & District Citizens Advice Bureau
  • Bedford Council of Faiths
  • Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation (BLCF)
  • Bedfordshire Rural Communities Trust (BRCC)
  • Beds & Cambs 4x4 Response
  • Billy Grahams Rapid Response Team
  • BIRD (British International Search & Rescue Dogs)
  • British Red Cross
  • Business In the Community
  • Central Bedfordshire Citizens Advice Bureau's (Leighton Linslade, Dunstable & District, Mid Bedfordshire)
  • Central Bedfordshire Neighbourhood Watch Association
  • Chaplaincy, Bedfordshire Hospitals
  • CHUMS (Emotional Wellbeing and Bereavement Service for children and families)
  • Citizens Advice Luton
  • Civil Air Support
  • Community Action: MK
  • Community Interest Luton
  • CRUSE Bereavement
  • CVS Bedfordshire
  • Disability Resource Centre (DRC)
  • Emergency Response Team - SAR
  • Herts Boat Rescue
  • Independent Group of Royal Voluntary Service Volunteers
  • Keech Hospice
  • Level Trust
  • London Luton Airport Chaplaincy Emergency Response Team
  • Luton Council of Faith
  • Luton Irish Forum
  • Luton Law Centre
  • Meadow Way Community Centre
  • Midshires Search & Rescue (MSAR)
  • MIND BLMK
  • National Emergencies Support Line (NESL)
  • National Emergencies Trust (NET)
  • NOAH Enterprise
  • Plymouth Brethren - Rapid Response Team (RRT)
  • RAYNET
  • RE:ACT
  • Road Victims Trust
  • Rotary International
  • Royal Voluntary Service (RVS)
  • RSPCA
  • Salvation Army
  • Salvation Army - Modern Slavery Contract Management Team
  • Samaritans
  • SARAID
  • SERV - Bloodrunners
  • Signpost - Bedfordshire Victim Care Services (Bedfordshire Police support for victims of crime)
  • SPEAR Search & Rescue
  • Sports Management Consultancy Ltd (Wicketz)
  • St John Ambulance
  • The Joint Civil Aid Corps
  • Thermal Drone Support Bedfordshire
  • Victim Support
  • Voluntary Services, Bedfordshire Hospitals (Part of the Bedfordshire Hospitals Charity)

BLEVEC aims

BLEVEC aims to:

  • develop a large network of voluntary community support (VCS) organisations
  • develop a large network of business volunteers
  • assist in the set-up of community emergency response teams (CERTs)
  • have a group of highly trained and equipped Commanders to coordinate the response effort and be leaders in multi-agency command and control groups
  • develop a network of faith leaders that can provide advice, expertise and support to responders and those affected by an emergency

How to get involved

There are a number of different groups and roles available to get involved with BLEVEC:

  • Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
  • Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) Member Organisation
  • BLEVEC Commander
  • BLEVEC Business Member
  • BLEVEC Emergency Faith Advisor

Support for you

If you're involved with BLEVEC you will:

  • have 24 hours a day, 7 days a week support from the BLEVEC Duty Officer
  • be invited to monthly training sessions on emergency management (currently virtual) from 7pm to 9pm on the second Tuesday of each month
  • get access to various Bedfordshire Emergency WhatsApp groups with all BLEVEC members included for fast call out deployment, information gathering and communications
  • be supported by the BLEVEC committee. They meet twice a year with a representative from each organisation and CERT. The committee provides a forum to discuss issues, lessons from incidents and how to make improvements for the future

What is a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)?

A Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is a group of local members, linked directly with BLEVEC and the local council Emergency Planning Team. They provide important information, intelligence and a quick form of communication should an incident occur.

A CERT group should include people and organisations that help sustain the community. For example:

  • town or parish council
  • local emergency service workers
  • Neighbourhood Watch
  • community group leaders
  • local schools
  • GP surgery and local doctors or nurses
  • pharmacy
  • care homes
  • local shop, Post Office or takeaway
  • a place of worship
  • local farmers/people with specialist equipment (generators etc.)
  • local charities
  • community/village hall and key holders

A CERT can help the community become more resilient in the following ways

Situation monitoring and communication

  • monitor the situation: keep track of ongoing developments
  • share updates: communicate impacts and needs through the WhatsApp Group
  • report issues: direct concerns to appropriate organisations

Community information sharing

  • inform the community: alert members about the current situation and potential risks
  • share trusted updates: distribute accurate safety information and advice
  • signpost help: direct individuals to relevant resources and support services

Establish Community Emergency Hub

  • create a safe space: set up a hub for community members to gather
  • provide assistance: offer information and support to those in need

Practical support and assistance

  • leverage local knowledge: use community members' skills and resources to address needs
  • assist in response activities: Engage in tasks that contribute to the emergency response

Follow guidelines and advice provided for effective and safe support.

Further information on BLEVEC Commanders

BLEVC Commanders will be at the forefront of emergency response that requires the assistance of BLEVEC emergency volunteers.

Commanders are trained to know the capabilities of all BLEVEC Organisations and be directly involved in the command and control groups along with the emergency services, local authorities, health and all other key emergency responders. Commanders will receive a resource pack containing essential items for responding to an emergency.

There are three commander roles.

  1. BLEVEC Strategic Commander: represent the BLEVEC partnership and members at the Strategic Coordinating Group (SCG) or on the Recovery Coordinating Group (RCG)

  2. BLEVEC Tactical Commander: represent the BLEVEC partnership and members at the Tactical Coordinating Group (TCG) and/or a BLRF Teleconference

  3. BLEVEC Operational Commander: represent the BLEVEC partnership and members at the Forward Control Point (FCP) at the scene of an emergency or at a specific operational location.  A BLEVEC Commander will assess the situation, suggest where volunteer resources might be useful and deal with requests for volunteer resources from the emergency services.

Further information on Business Members

Private businesses can sign-up to offer assistance to communities in a major emergency.

This could be part of a corporate social responsibility policy and the support offered could be in the form of a business service, food & refreshments, donation of goods, transport, storage or time towards aiding during an emergency. Businesses may also wish to link directly to the local CERT.

Further information on Emergency Faith Advisors

Faith Advisors play an important role in providing culturally and religiously appropriate solace to victims to help them endure and overcome the stress from the trauma of an incident. Faith Advisors provide emotional support as part of a wider team, which may include other groups providing secular support, such as the Samaritans. The Emergency Faith Advisors Group links directly to the emergency response and recovery network.