WHO ARE THE PEOPLE?

MOBILE SUPPORT TEAMS

• Overview
• Mission Statement, Goals and Objectives
• How do I volunteer for the Mobile Support Team?

Overview

If a community has included an ESS component in their Emergency Plan, and has established a functional ESS team, they will be able to handle most emergency responses with their existing resources. However, when large numbers of people are displaced by an incident, the Province may be asked to assist.

When a community is overwhelmed by an emergency they may find it necessary to request ESS assistance from the province. The local Emergency Program Coordinator or ESS Director requests Mobile Support Team (MST) assistance through the Provincial Emergency Program (PEP) Regional Manager or Provincial Regional Emergency Operations Centre (PREOC), who authorizes the request and then contacts the ESS Office requesting activation.

There are five regionally-based teams throughout the province composed of experienced and highly trained ESS volunteers. Teams are located in each of the PEP Regions, with the exception of the Northwest and Northeast regions, which share one team. They are able to travel on short notice to any community that requests ESS assistance and provide on-the-spot training, mentoring and consultation for local volunteers. More detailed information regarding the role of the MST is available from the ESS Office upon request.

Management, training and exercising of these teams is provided by the Provincial Emergency Program, in addition to travel and accommodation costs for MSTs responding to an emergency.

Mission Statement, Goals and Objectives

Mission Statement

When requested, a Mobile Support Team provides short-term Emergency Social Services assistance and support to a community overwhelmed by an emergency, until the community can effectively manage the response on its own again.

Goal

To provide for the immediate needs of evacuees and help strengthen the local community, encouraging them to be self-sufficient.

Objectives

General

• To have well organized, trained teams of volunteer that can assist and support a community experiencing an emergency.
• To work with local authorities and be respectful of the local community's existing plan.
• To work together as a team by being fair, honest, respectful and ethical in dealing with the community and all responders.

Training

• To ensure MST Members have current ESS training and are cross-trained with skills necessary to organize and operate all aspects of a Reception Centre, Group Lodging Facility or other ESS facility, if requested to do so by the local community.

How do I volunteer for the Mobile Support Team?

To qualify for the Mobile Support Team, a volunteer must meet the following criteria:

• Must be actively involved in your local emergency planning activities, preferrably in a supervisory role, for at least two years and intend on continuing in this role.
• Must have completed the following four mandatory ESS courses through the Justice Institute in addition to at least one other ESS or PEP sponsored course.
  • Introduction to ESS (waived for volunteers who joined prior to 2001)
  • Reception Centre Course
  • Registration and Referrals for Food Clothing and Lodging (or the former equivalent training delivered as two separate courses)
  • ESS Director **
  • **NOTE: Applicants who have not taken the ESS Directors course will be required to complete it within one year of joining the Mobile Support Team.
• Must have physical and emotional qualities to handle stressful working conditions. (A doctor's certificate is required.)
• Must be willing to leave your community within 24 hours, once assignment has been accepted.
• Must be available to stay on assignment for a minimum of seven days once deployed.
• Must have consent of employer and family.
  NOTE: Applicants must settle this issue with their employers before they apply, determining also if they will receive leave with or without pay when required to respond to an emergency.
• Must have support for your application from two people (one must be your supervisor from the disaster relief organization).
• Must provide a criminal record check with your application, done within the past two years.
• Must be willing to take on any disaster relief position, regardless of nature or status (i.e., you may be filling orders in a warehouse or ladling soup off the back of a truck).
• Must commit to being part of the Mobile Support Team program for at least two years.

If you feel you meet the qualifications for an MST member, you may contact either your regional PEP Office or the ESS Office for more information on the application process.

Page Updated: 2006 May 10