The Antwerp municipality of Edegem wants to establish a citizen reserve that can assist the emergency services in disaster situations. “It is a concept that has been adopted from the Netherlands”, explains Mayor Koen Metsu.
Free training courses
A citizen reserve consists of residents who can register and receive free first aid and emergency planning training courses through the municipality. When necessary, the emergency services can rely on this citizen reserve during major emergency situations. “It goes much further than filling sandbags at all hours”, the mayor explains to VRT. “We also want to offer a first aid course, introduce people to the principles of emergency planning, evacuation planning, how does an AED device work?” The municipality of Edegem will bear the full cost of the courses.
No taking over of duties
Koen Metsu emphasises that it is not the intention for citizens to take over the duties of official emergency services, but that the citizen reserve “is at the service of the emergency services”. In the Flemish-Brabant municipality of Lubbeek and in Brussels, similar projects already exist where volunteers are deployed.
The mayor of Edegem, a municipality with 23,000 inhabitants near the city of Antwerp, believes that many people will want to join the citizen reserve. Meanwhile, more than 100 Edegem residents have already registered. “We assume that everyone, regardless of age or background, can make their contribution should it be necessary.” Metsu hopes to be able to offer a first course within a few months.
Concept from the Netherlands
In the Netherlands, the CitizenReserve has existed for longer. It is an initiative of Society College, Defensity College and University of Flanders/Netherlands.
This organisation supports professional emergency services. “The CitizenReservists can be deployed during flash disasters, acute labour shortages or crisis situations”, it states on their website. The CitizenReservists have already been deployed in the Netherlands to tackle security challenges in the port of Rotterdam, mapped buildings, roads and houses for aid workers after the earthquake in Turkey and staffed polling stations at the previous elections.