Standards Development

Scope

This document provides guidelines for organizations working with communities to develop, establish and support community emergency hubs that contribute to societal resilience to disruption.

This document includes:

— a framework of the aim, objectives and principles for community emergency hubs;

— guidance on engaging communities in the development of community emergency hubs;

— guidance on organizing, equipping and aligning community emergency hubs with community plans;

— guidance on preparing volunteers to work to work safely, collaboratively and with appropriate leadership;

— guidance on identifying community needs, coordinating offers of support, and providing other community support services;

— guidance on activating, operating and closing community emergency hubs;

— guidance on supporting community recovery following disruption.

This document is applicable to any organization working with community members to strengthen societal resilience to disruption.

This document does not specify requirements for emergency response organizations, emergency services or incident management activities

Purpose

This international guidance will detail international learning on how to safely start, run and stop a community emergency hub in a major emergency. It is intended for use by local government by providing information to them on how they can work with communities to establish vibrant community emergency hubs across their area.

Whole-of-society resilience to major emergencies is taking hold as a local government ambition in many countries. This means that everyone has a role to play before, during and after a disruption hits. There are many ways in which governments are pursuing this ambition: one way is through encouraging communities to develop community-level activities to coordinate the self-help and helping other (outpouring of solidarity) that occurs when an emergency hits.

A community emergency hub is an example of how communities can come together to support themselves and each other in a major emergency. Community emergency hubs have been developed in many countries, including New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, USA, Canada, and the UK. 

Community emergency hubs are a practical expression of societal resilience at community level. A community emergency hub is a place for a community to coordinate its own efforts to help each other during and after an emergency. It is run by the community, for the community, and so is formed and operated by local people. It is often pre-planned by community members who want to take control of their own future when an emergency hits. It can open spontaneously or with encouragement from emergency responders.

The development of a community emergency hub benefits from intervention by local government to help communities understand how to work, be safe, and how to activate when an emergency happens. So, local government have an important encouragement and facilitating role, especially on bigger problems; however, the community emergency hub is not managed by government or emergency responders. It can complement the work of emergency responders by coordinating spontaneous volunteers, supporting local essential businesses, or operating a welfare centre.

In many countries there are national community volunteering systems that coordinate volunteer’s solidarity with people who are affected by the emergency. ‘Bosai’ volunteers in Japan, CERT in USA, THW in Germany, Langa Together marshals in South Africa, and community emergency hubs in these countries are some examples. Place-based leaders are crucial to nurture and develop such systems, without which their development will be limited. So, the role of place-based leaders (e.g. local governments) is essential for these systems to flourish and to ensure communities are able to help, when possible, when a major emergency hits, and do so safely.

The attached ANNEX A describes a base document that will be used to produce the Working Draft if the project is approved.