Jones, Roger ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6970-2797, Ooi, Daniel ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6246-4148, Dadswell, Kara ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3192-7960, Parry, Neil and Young, Celeste ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2744-064X (2025) The Emergency Management Sustainable Volunteering Blueprint: Strategic Framework. Research Report. Natural Hazards Research Australia, Melbourne, Australia.

Abstract

The emergency management (EM) volunteering sector is ripe for change. An ageing but dedicated workforce is slowly declining in numbers, while the demand for their services is at an all-time high. The number of informal volunteers who gather spontaneously when emergencies occur has increased, while those who wish to volunteer formally have decreased. This is challenging traditional notions of what EM volunteering is and does.Effective actions require strategic approaches that consider the entire EM ecosystem and the different players and contexts it contains. The EM volunteering sector is now at a crossroads. Participants must choose to innovate and transform to accommodate these systemic needs or face the prospect of greatly reduced capacity and capability. The Emergency Management Sustainable Volunteering Blueprint: The Strategic Framework (The Strategic Framework) uses a systems-based approach to extend volunteering beyond organisations to being national in scope. It integrates key areas of focus that support volunteering EMOs to act collectively. By focusing on innovation and education and learning to support broader changes in State Emergency Services (SES) and State and Territory Fire Agencies (Fire Services) in Australia and New Zealand, it provides tangible pathways towards a sustainable and inclusive volunteering sector where volunteers are empowered, appreciated and valued.

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