Belgium/Walloon Brabant: rescue services receive official support from associations to help in crisis situations

Floods, storms, Covid, terrorist attacks... crisis situations that mobilize numerous emergency services! So much so that firefighters, police officers, ambulance drivers, civil protection personnel and other first-aiders can sometimes be overwhelmed.

To enhance the efficiency and coordination of its response, the province of Walloon Brabant is forging partnerships with citizens and associations that can provide assistance in the event of a crisis. Four associations have just signed an official cooperation agreement, on a voluntary basis.

These include the Amicale des Corps de Sauvetage, based in La Hulpe. It can offer material support and personnel, for example, in the event of flooding. These range from ambulances and all-terrain rescue vehicles to trained first-aiders and volunteers who can assist disaster victims. "As recentlyas three weeks ago, there was flooding in the region. When that happens, we activate an emergency plan," explains association president Fabienne Félix. "There were 27 people up in an hour's time. All our vehicles had the appropriate personnel to be able to leave to reinforce fire department teams at ambulance rescue level. We also activated all our special vehicles for evacuations and to bring in supplies, should the need arise."

Another now official partner is the non-profit organization Humanity Help Team, chaired by Daniel Vanden Bossche. "The idea is to go into crisis centers and command posts to lend a hand with data encoding, for example. It'sless visible help, but it's important. In the absence of coordination and management, volunteers could, in spite of themselves, get in the way of the first rescue workers on the ground.

For its part, the Give a Day platform (and its provincial wing BW solidaire) will offer management and coordination between citizens offering help, associations and victims. The association can also be very useful in terms of coordination, planning and logistical information, etc. More generally, this "matching" platform matches volunteer offers with the needs of associations.

Finally, young people on the Citizen Service Platform will be able to help victims of natural disasters, for example, by getting involved in a solidarity project for young people aged 18 to 25, with support and training! At present, young people take part in full-time "missions" lasting 6 months (4 days in the field, 1 day of training), which could be extended to 12 months if the association succeeds in obtaining a real status for these young people. The question of this special status is currently being discussed by the federal government.