WLRF joins forces with REACT volunteers to support in emergencies
Warwickshire Local Resilience Forum (WLRF) and REACT have signed a Memorandum of Understanding.
This ensures WLRF will be able to call on REACT’s experienced and skilled volunteers in emergencies and crises in Warwickshire.
WLRF comprises expert partner organisations, including councils and emergency services. These partners help Warwickshire residents prepare for, respond to and recover from major emergencies or incidents.
A WLRF exercise week in September helped these partners work together even more effectively to keep people safe during emergencies.
REACT is a charity which consists of volunteers undertaking disaster response work in the UK and internationally. Many REACT volunteers have served in the Armed Forces or as emergency service responders.
REACT also recently launched a Flood Response Appeal to train and equip new teams of volunteer Flood Responders.
WLRF will be able to work with REACT to support its response to emergencies, helping WLRF protect as many people as possible.
Harry Starkey, West Midlands Regional Leader at REACT said:
“We are very happy to offer our support to WLRF. We both want to keep people safe in emergencies and WLRF’s recent flooding exercise is closely linked with our own work.
“We will be working together to ensure we can keep Warwickshire’s residents safe, whatever the emergency.”
WLRF Co-Chair and Chief Fire Officer at Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service, Ben Brook, added:
“I’m really pleased to welcome REACT; I know they will be an invaluable help to us as we work to help people prepare for emergencies and keep themselves safe.
“They have a wealth of experienced people we can call on, many with military and emergency service experience which complements our own. I look forward to working closely with them to continue to improve our emergency response.”
Deputy Chief Constable for Warwickshire Police, and fellow WLRF Co-Chair, Alex Franklin-Smith, agreed:
“WLRF thrives thanks to all our partners working together to help people keep themselves safe and prepare for emergencies.
“Welcoming REACT to the family is a natural extension of that; we greatly value their support and look forward to drawing on their experience of responding to emergencies in the UK and around the world.”
Learn all about REACT and their life-saving work at https://www.re-act.org.uk/.