BLEVEC Commander
Do you think you have the passion, skills and commitment to make a real difference to the Bedfordshire community in emergency situations? A unique and exciting volunteering opportunity has arisen for volunteers to get involved in BLEVEC (Bedfordshire Local Emergency Volunteers Executive Committee). This is an extremely rewarding role for someone with the right skillset who is looking for a challenge and wants to make a difference in their local community.
What skills are required to be a BLEVEC Commander?
- Organisational and interpersonal
- Situational awareness
- Independent decision making
- Team working
- Knowledge of health & safety issues, risk assessment, safeguarding, volunteer wellbeing. Training for new Commanders includes shadowing and participation as a Support Officer to Commanders at multi-agency exercises. There is also annual on-going training for all Commanders.
"I am always amazed at how quickly BLEVEC resources can be activated and how much BLEVEC Commanders are respected by our statutory partners and have an equal voice in the planning for, and involvement in, the management of emergency situations. It is a privilege to see the dedication of our emergency volunteers at every incident we have responded to " - Robert, BLEVEC Commander
BLEVEC Emergency Volunteer
The emergency volunteer may be deployed to any incident where volunteer assistance is required by statutory authorities and emergency services. The incident may be a local situation, a major incident or a prolonged emergency (such as COVID 19).
The volunteer may be deployed to assist in a range of situations:
- A major fire resulting in evacuation of residents
- Impact of severe adverse weather – snow, flooding, storms
- A major incident involving aircraft, vehicles, a train
- The aftermath of a terrorist incident
- A pandemic situation where vulnerable people are at risk
In most cases volunteers will be deployed to an Assistance Centre or Evacuation Centre away from the incident and asked to undertake a range of tasks dependent on their organisation’s role and/or their personal capabilities and skills.
Expenses, usually for travel, will be refunded. Volunteers will complete an induction training session, a two-hour BLEVEC training evening once a month and a one-day Assistance Centre training once a year.
This role doesn’t have a specific regular time commitment due to the nature of the role as major incidents usually only occur a couple of times a year on average. If called out to an incident, volunteers will usually support for a minimum of a 4-hour shift, with a possibility of being up to 8 hours depending on the incident and volunteers’ availability. Tasks for the COVID response may include leafleting, traffic management at testing centres, sorting and delivery of PPE from time to time.
If you would like to speak to a BLEVEC Commander to find out more and help you to decide whether this is the role for you, please contact us via email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
