To Serve and Protect: Bringing Diversity to Australia’s Emergency Services
11/11/2021
Date of Publication: 2021
Author: Trish Prentice
Published by: Scanlon Foundation Research Institute
Both the number of people involved in formal volunteering, and the number of hours individuals are dedicating to these roles, have declined in recent years. Time pressures on families and increasing work commitments are playing a role along with growing individualism and a decline in altruistic values. For emergency service organisations that rely on volunteers, this is a worrying trend.
In this report, the author interviewed eight volunteers from diverse backgrounds within emergency service organisations: Lidya (Ambulance Victoria), Ramzi (Life Saving Victoria), Ahmad (Country Fire Authority), Barb (Country Fire Authority), Zulfi (State Emergency Services), Jing (St John Ambulance), Vivek (State Emergency Services), and Mohammad (St John Ambulance).
The report shares their stories e.g. why they chose to volunteer, what it means to them, and how their involvement benefits the organisation and the community and then poses the question: does diversity matter?
Whilst recognising diversity in emergency service volunteer recruitment may help to boost the volunteer numbers and that it can lead to better outcomes in emergency situations in certain communities, the report also asks whether encouraging more cultural and religious diversity in the volunteer pool is more important than bolstering recruitment generally.
Two of the volunteers interviewed still considered volunteering should be open to everyone and appropriate motivation and skills were the crucial factors in recruitment.
Emergency service organisations looking to recruit more religiously or culturally diverse volunteers might do best to start with the cultural capital that already exists within the organisation. People from different backgrounds can bring brilliant ideas. Having diversity complements the organisation. It also provides an outlet for engagement in the community.
The full report is available here.