Services and Events

We provide various community services and initiatives in support of survival or civil defence. Our community efforts are many and varied, with involvement undertaken by volunteer members, dedicating their spare time setting up mutual assistance groups, survival programs or building civil defence provisions. Our programs include:

• Civil Defence Volunteers

Engaging individuals in volunteer activities that support professional first responders, disaster relief groups, and general community safety. We come into action when the professionals can't in large scale disasters/crises.

Towns and cities will need to analyse which natural disaster types pose the biggest threat to their society, and create a response training program to educate members.

Failure to prepare for natural disasters accordingly could result in the destruction of residential and public infrastructure, a drastic number of preventable deaths, and an inadequate emergency response and recovery roll-out. Civil Defence can drastically increase society preparedness levels by educating community members, then working in the field to maintain the binding of society as we know it.

Members undergo training that equips them with basic disaster response skills such as team organisation, disaster medical operations and or first aid, fire safety, and light search and rescue. In a real disaster, members are taught to apply this training to their homes, and then their surrounding areas, with overall help extending to society as a whole.

As a societal organisation, we wanted to improve on available services, by having instant response available, directly in the local area. This was organised as the result of a Royal Commission into Natural Disaster Arrangements which was undertaken and how it could improve. It inspired our people to take appropriate action. Please see a royal commission report here.

Following on from the royal commission report,  a major Storm event which occurred in the Municipality of Yarra Ranges in Victoria, where responses were delayed and recovery difficult for many. See the report here.  These kinds of natural disasters could occur anywhere in the country, and are just an example of one area!

During a crisis or crises, members self activate to support civil defence recovery activities in their local area. Members are not expected to act as professional responders, but to serve as help until the emergency services arrive. (If emergency services never arrive, it is continued, until they do). Vetted and trained senior members proudly serve and can be tasked with the function that will assist local and wider communities with the use of mutual assistance groups. Outside of disasters and crises, members are encouraged to engage the community with disaster preparedness training, support local events, and complete A.P.S.L academy training units to build on their skills. Further to this, members also participate in a range of measures that make their families, homes, and community safe from the threats of crime, terrorism, and environmental damage.

Civil Defence Volunteers arrange Mutual Assistance Groups,  to serve society whilst maintaining their own safety as a first priority above all. After all, we can't help if we become a casualty or need to be rescued ourselves.

• Communication operations and broadcasts

We utilise various radio equipment such as Amateur Radio and C.B radio, to practice civil defence functions. We practice and participate in training exercises and run broadcasts to keep people notified of our operations, events and disaster/crises response. Trained amateur operators make excellent communicators and are often well equipped people.

• Special events

We exhibit or organise special events, allowing the members to represent our organisation and get involved in the larger community with demonstrations of survivability, as well as running public training seminars. Some of the exhibits which we attend:

• Survival Exhibitions.
• Off Grid Festival.
• Amateur Radio Events.
• Australia Day exhibits.
• Various Country Show exhibits.
• Emergency Services Exhibits.
• Fire preparedness days held by various fire services across Australia.

• Free Survival Training

Our volunteer members are proud to deliver free survival training and other very important training courses, to help ensure survival of as many persons as possible. This is one of our purposes that we are proud to deliver. Hundreds of people are being trained every year, with an ever growing number at public events. Please see our training details page for further information.

• Meet Ups

From time to time, members have an opportunity to meet up with other members to discuss all things civil defence and survival.  It offers a great opportunity for members to connect with others either in person or via video conferencing.