COMMUNITY-MINDED residents in Ongar and North Weald are now being trained to respond to emergencies such as flooding – and possibly save lives in the process.
The Community Emergency Response Volunteer (CERV) initiative was launched at North Weald Airfield.
The scheme is initially being rolled out across Epping Forest and Harlow but could be adopted countywide if it proves to be a success.
It came out of Epping Forest District Council's (EFDC) plans for the 2012 Olympics and involves training up people in the community to help out and respond quickly in the event of a public emergency.
"They could be involved in anything from flooding to dealing with snow," said Tom Knibbs, emergency planning officer at EFDC.
"Their training would be geared towards the issues that are most likely in their area.
"This could be being prepped on opening up evacuation centres, such as village halls, or getting out and gritting paths in winter.
"Initial training will be done by the Essex fire service and monthly two hour sessions will keep the volunteers up to scratch.
"Having these volunteers within the community could be lifesaving because getting emergency services on the ground, especially in rural areas, can be slow."
He added: "Part of the training will just be myth-busting. For example, some people believe that they can't go out and grit paths because they might be sued, but this simply isn't the case."
Mr Knibbs, who lives in Chelmsford, has been working on the scheme for more than six months.
"It was born out of our Olympic planning," he said.
"We decided to have volunteers trained up in the event of an emergency at the Lea Valley Centre, especially in the case of an evacuation.
"From this came the idea of having the scheme across the district and today we have finally launched."
To deliver the scheme, the council is working in partnership with Harlow Council, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, the Cabinet Office, and Voluntary Action Epping Forest (VAEF), an umbrella group for voluntary and community organisations in the area.
The fire service will provide the training for the scheme while VAEF will help to recruit volunteers.
Jacqui Foile, chief officer of VAEF, said: "We hope to bring in volunteers to this scheme.
"We recruit for many charities and have worked with the council before.
"Hopefully we can work together to really lift the scheme off the ground and get it rolling."
If you wish to volunteer or want more information, visit www.cerv.co.uk
