RESILIENT COMMUNITIES – HELPING YOUR NEIGHBOURS! It's pretty quiet here but from time to time there can be an unexpected incident e.g. during a sudden deluge of rain in 2016 a number of areas in the community were flooded and some properties were under severe threat of water ingress. The severe wintry conditions in early 2018 prevented some people from getting out and about for essential provisions. More recently in 2020/21 due to Covid we have been able to help our neighbours with shopping, collecting prescriptions and even essential supplies.
Our Resilient Community Coordinators and other volunteers are willing to come to the rescue of neighbours in time of need and can for example liaise with other participants, Scottish Borders Council, Lothian Estates, Buccleuch Estates, The Fire Service and any other service that may required to resolve any given situation.
Resilient Communities simply means that everyone mucks in to lend a helping hand when an incident occurs. The beauty of the Resilient Communities Team is that other people from the neighbouring communities of Crailing, Eckford and Ulston can also be called on to lend a helping hand and mobilise additional assistance in time of need. Although additional support is not usually required it is a comfort to know that there are people prepared to help if needs be.
What potential emergency situations could we possibly have? Our Resilient Communities Coordinators have identified the risks (see below) and are prepared to Coordinate activities but would value your support in helping out, in time of need, in any way you can.
SITUATION & POSSIBLE ACTIONS REQUIRED
Severe Snow: Check on neighbours. Offer help and support as necessary. Monitor clearance of roads and tracks. Clear doorways and paths. Organise 4x4 transport to shops/health centre as necessary.
Power outage (sustained): Check on neighbours. Offer help and support as necessary. Check on those with no source of heat or cooking. Organise a warm centre (eg Hall) for people to get warm food and drink.
Flooding: Check on neighbours. Offer help and support as necessary. Provide sandbags as appropriate to affected houses. Offer help and support to householders. Organise a warm centre (eg Hall) for people to get warm food and drink.
Medical Emergency: Provide emergency First Aid. Operate defibrillator as necessary.
Missing Person: Coordinate initial searches. Gather information to provide to Emergency Services. Support Search and rescue operation as necessary. Organise a warm centre (eg Hall) for people to get warm food and drink.
Unforeseen Emergency: Provide a point of contact to co-ordinate the gathering of information and organising initial support.
Please Note: Our Community Council is covered by Zurich Municipal insurance, it has been agreed that community resilience activities that don’t involve mechanised equipment will be covered under our existing policy
Vehicle use should be covered under the driver’s own motor insurance policy. Advice from the association of British Insurers on the insurance industry’s commitment to volunteer drivers can be found at: https://www.abi.org.uk/Insurance-and-savings/Products/Motor-insurance/Volunteer-drivers
Any Resilient Communities volunteer who has a particular concern about Insurance should email their query in the first instance to cencomms@hotmail.co.uk
HOW CAN YOU SIGN UP?
When you click on [Sign Up] A form will appear. First complete your contact details then click on any one or more of the items listed (these are related to the above situations) then click submit. That's all there is to it. You are then on our list and we know that we can contact you to help with the specific emergency in hand. We appreciate that people lead very busy lives and may be away or not available at any given time however the more people that sign up the bigger the pool is and the easier it is to find enough people to help in an emergency. Go On "Sign Up" now you know you want to!
ALREADY SIGNED UP BUT WANT TO CHECK/MODIFY YOUR DETAILS
Participants are given a password for their own personal details at the outset so they can sign in via the Login Tab on the Home Page - this gives you access to the details that you have previously supplied and you can amend as you wish. If you have forgotten your password simply email cencomms@hotmail.co.uk and a new one will be issued to you.
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