City seeking volunteers for Emergency Social Services team

By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on February 12, 2025.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com

The City of Lethbridge is inviting residents to join the Emergency Social Services (ESS) team to support their community during large-scale emergencies and disasters.
Jamie Anderson, Emergency Planning Administrator with the City of Lethbridge told reporters Tuesday morning that the City takes emergency planning and preparedness seriously and has a number of plans ready to activate, one of those pieces being their ESS.
“Should people be unable to remain in their homes during an event in our community, how are we caring for those people? Having a plan to prepare to support people at that time of need makes a huge difference in the overall response,” said Anderson.  
She said one of the things they are doing as the emergency social services team and is looking to broaden it to include community members.  
“We see a lot of spontaneous volunteers who are community members that just want to jump in and lend a hand with some things going on in their community,” said Anderson. “So, we’re looking to provide opportunities to become a little bit more familiar with the emergency social services plan that we have.”
She said the idea is for people to become familiar with procedures so if an emergency was to take place, and they decide to volunteer, they are not starting from scratch.  
Anderson said every third Thursday of the month, sessions are being held to highlight how the program operates in emergencies. The next training opportunity will feature representatives from the Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) and is scheduled for Thursday from noon to 1 p.m. at the Culver Room, City Hall.
“When something does take place, could be a flood, fire, tornado, any significant event. There’s a lot of chaos. There’s a lot of moving parts. And the importance of having more members and volunteers is we can provide support even if there are members who are impacted by the event itself,” said Anderson.
She said that by having volunteers it allows them to utilize more resources if city employees are busy containing the situation by doing what they do day-to-day.
“We can teach people how to fill registrations, get people into hotels, maybe they need shelter, or get people connected with changes of clothing, if they’ve left all their clothing, medical supports, pharmaceutical supports if that’s needed,” said Anderson.
 She said volunteers can help by using their lived experiences to help those who might need to go to a reception centre in a vulnerable state.
ESS plays a vital role in ensuring that individuals and families impacted by crises receive short-term support to regain stability as quickly as possible. 
“This program is about bringing people together, using their unique skills and helping our neighbours when they need it most,” said Anderson.
ESS volunteers are trained to respond to various scenarios. The program offers certifications, hands-on training and networking opportunities with local emergency response teams.
 Volunteers are matched to roles that suit their skills, and all necessary training is provided. 
No registration is required for Thursday’s training session, but participants are encouraged to express their interest in advance to assist with planning. 
 For more information about the ESS program and how to join the team, visit Lethbridge.ca/ess

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