Volunteers from Serve On and other EVOLSAR rescue teams from across Europe gathered in Malta to discuss ways to improve future emergency responses and joint working in disaster situations.

Representatives from volunteer rescue teams across Europe came together for an extremely successful EVOLSAR meeting and Serve On was at the heart of plans to improve and better coordinate future emergency responses.

Dan, Vern and Amhar gave a presentation to SAR Team, Közép-Budai Önkéntes Polgári Védelem, Protezione Civile – Edelweiss, UCRS Madrid, Associação Humanitária dos Bombeiros Voluntários de Peniche and Emergency Fire and Rescue Unit, at EFRU’s HQ in Malta and explained the benefits of working with new technologies from Zello, SarStuff, Google Workspace and Safe-Citizens for online cooperation, communication, disaster area damage information sharing and threat alerts.

The teams together developed new procedures and protocols for alerting EVOLSAR member organisations about disaster responses, for assembling a joint rescue team and coordinating tasks for the leadership support group.

Going forward, Serve On’s Command Support team will play a key role in implementing the new plans through a new Evolsar Command Support, but most of all it is the collaboration across all teams which will make EVOLSAR’s responses to future disasters most effective.

EVOLSAR President Pasquale Pipicelli summarised the decisions taken at the summit as follows:

The principle of triggering a response following a disaster will be as follows:

· If any EVOLSAR teams receive an alarm or become aware of a disaster, they are communicating through the EVOLSAR COMMAND SUPPORT (ECS), as part of the Emergency Office Function.

· The ECS will be remotely operated (web-based) and this function will be shared by all teams interested to participate in EVOLSAR deployments.

EVOLSAR COMMAND SUPPORT (ECS)

Will be made up of personnel that are:

· speaking fluent English;

· have the availability to meet online and when required, the financial possibility to meet in person, for meetings, training and exercises;

· knowledge of the VOSOCC;

· Personal knowledge and practical experience in any emergency command processes (e.g. capability to work with other rescue team management)

· able to work on own initiative;

· able to work as a proactive team player;

· prepared to participate in training.

We agreed that during the PRE-OPERATIONAL PHASE:

1. Teams will alert each other using Whatsapp primarily (Initial Alert).

2. On Virtual OSOCC, any team intending to operate as part of EVOLSAR, is obliged to register itself as Monitoring using its Team Name followed by '(EVOLSAR)'.

3. Each team shall designate at least two volunteers, ideally 2+ volunteers, for the ECS based on the criteria set above.

4. If a member team does not participate in the actual deployment, the team is required to dedicate its resources in support of the common effort in the ECS.

5. There is common understanding that we are collecting information about the willingness of the teams to participate in the operation. The information gathering process will be supported by the ECS through the use of Google Forms in Google Workspace (EVOLSAR has obtained a Google Workspace for Nonprofits account - all teams have an account and will be assisted with account activation).

6. Within the first 12-hours after the Initial Alert, the expectation is to receive a reply from each member team about the intention & deploying team information.

7. Following this, led by the ECS, an online coordination meeting will be held among the teams & the ECS. Focus on common activity and possible logistics support. If the team leader is unavailable, a delegate pertaining to the same team can represent that team.

DEPLOYMENT PHASE

EVOLSAR teams should work towards joint field operations, in line with EVOLSARs objectives in support of the immediate & long-term development of EVOLSAR as a Unit.

1. The management of the deployment phase of the joint EVOLSAR deployment will be web-based, managed by the ECS.

2. It was agreed that EVOLSAR will try to use SARSYS and the Google Workspace in parallel. At no extra cost, EVOLSAR will trial the SARSYS system thanks to Serve On.

3. In the field, deployed teams would deal with SARSYS only via the mobile app. The ECS would assist with any VOSOCC / iCMS / other administrative tasks.

4. Communications: The team would communicate on the ground and with the ECS using Zello (primarily) and WhatsApp (as a back-up or as required).

5. ECS will be manned 24/7 following the field situation.

6. Teams are responsible to have Zello hardware capability (at least the smartphone with installed app). Zello communications training can be provided.

7. EVOLSAR will create its own Zello work platform for use during Operations. (ECS will be responsible for setting up the cross link among platforms if possible)

8. ECS to assist with the reporting back to the team liaison officer back home in respect of team welfare and rescuer wellbeing.

9. ECS will take care of EVOLSAR level PR & any third party communication.

10. A WhatsApp group will be established for the ECS. Once set-up, teams will be asked to add their designated members.

11. The team leaders intending to deploy should endeavour to have personnel from their team represented in the ECS.

The EVOLSAR Deployment Team Commander will be determined during the Coordination meeting among team leaders, when the intention to deploy an EVOLSAR joint team is determined.

Training / Awareness

1. Lessons learnt sessions from teams that have deployed;

2. Getting to know the ECS team;

3. Online 1 day training will be carried out for those nominated for the ECS;

4. Training on systems such as Zello, Google Workspace, SARSYS, VOSOCC, ICMS.

Roles of ECS

- shared learning

- keep the team connected

- identifying opportunities for learning

- live learning / adapting during the mission

- virtual support using technology beyond deployed teams

- to establish the minimum deploying team requirements

All teams participating in the joint EVOLSAR deployment initiative must ensure that the EVOLSAR emblem is featured both visually and virtually.

European collaboration

Dogged Determination

Selfless Sam