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Calling all motivated volunteers with a desire to help others.
Why volunteer with Disaster Relief Australia?
Disaster Relief Australia (DRA) responds to recovery efforts post disaster across Australia. Be it flood, bushfire, cyclone or storm, we’re there to support people on some of their toughest days, helping them take the first steps on the road to recovery.
To streamline our processes, a singular operational Expression of Interest (EOI) is available below for all of DRA’s active operations. Volunteers are able to select their preferred operation within this EOI.
Each deployment can be up to seven days and will likely include a travel day either side.
Can’t do seven days? Don’t worry – you can select preferences and parameters in your EOI.
New to DRA?
We welcome all new volunteers and have a specific new volunteer EOI to join. Simply fill in an application form and someone from our Membership Team will call you. Our Membership Team will answer any questions that you may have.
Already a volunteer?
If you are already a DRA volunteer, check your Muster profile is at Deployment Ready, and all skills, qualifications and emergency contact details are up to date. If you need assistance with your Muster profile, let the Membership Team know in your EOI and the team can help you.
Is your training up to date?
Before you get on the ground, we ask all DRA volunteers to complete the online Core Operations Course. This course can be accessed via the DRA training portal and is designed to help you prepare for your deployment and know what to expect.
Volunteers must also be up to date with all Safe Work Method Statements, which can be found in the resources menu of your Muster profile.
Before you deploy
We have collated important information that we ask all volunteers to read before completing an EOI for deployment.
This information can change over time; so even frequent deployers should review these notes.
Everyone has a legislated health and safety “duty of care” to:
- take reasonable care for their own health and safety
- take reasonable care to ensure they don’t affect the health and safety of other people, for example, other volunteers, members of the public or clients that they may be assisting
- comply with any reasonable instruction that is given to them by the DRA organisation, as far as they are able
- cooperate with any reasonable policy or procedure that DRA has provided to them
During deployment, DRA will provide:
- Meals, barracks-style accommodation and PPE
- Transportation from designated meeting points to the Forward Operating Base
- Flights from major airports (operation budget dependent)
DRA will not cover taxis, ride-share, airport parking or private transport to/from designated meeting points.
Volunteers are not covered by workers compensation. The first recourse for injury cover is Medicare and/or DVA. Any out-of-pocket expenses not covered, can then be submitted through DRA’s Volunteer Insurance Policy.
Fitness
It is hard work and can be emotionally confronting helping communities with the residual trauma that comes from living through adversity.
Volunteers can sometimes work up to seven days straight, which can be in uncompromising conditions. Please read through the requirements for operations as outlined in an EOI, to ensure sure you fit the parameters required, both physically and mentally. This is to ensure safety of self, as we provide service to those in need.
Your submission of an EOI and acceptance of any joining instructions are a legally binding declaration of:
- Your fitness to work, and your own psychological and physical readiness to deploy
- Your commitment to carrying sufficient personal medically prescribed medicines
- If any circumstances arise that change these declarations, that you will advise DRA of the change as soon as possible
A final note
Please remember that the submission of an EOI is not a guaranteed deployment. If you have not received any communication following your submission, please check your spam and junk folders. You may be contacted by the Mobilisation Team for further information.
Thank you for your interest in deploying with DRA. If you have specific questions, you can email the DRA Mobilisation Team directly.
Operation Wettenhall Phase 2, Vic – Fire recovery & preparation
Status: Closed
Grampians Region, Victoria and surrounding areas
- ADVON/IMT – from Monday 2 December to Wednesday 4 December 2024
- Wave 1 – Wednesday 4 December to Thursday 12 December 2024
Disaster Relief Australia returned to the Grampians region to continue clean-up from damage caused during the February 2024 storms and follows Operation Wettenhall, which concluded in May.
We deployed approximately 25 volunteers to Pomonal, Victoria & surrounding areas, to assist with the continued clean-up from the devastating February 2024 bushfires and, in addition, helped the community prepare for the high-risk season.
This was a national operation with a limited budget. As such, we prioritised self-drive volunteers from the VIC Disaster Relief and Recovery Team (DRRT) followed by volunteers from the SA, ACT and Southern NSW DRRTs of all skill and experience levels.
We also considered those who were not available for the entire wave.
Tasks included collection and removal of scrap metal and fire debris. Work also included disposal of green waste.
A reasonable level of fitness was required for this operation.
If you have any questions regarding EOI for any operations, please email the Mobilisation Team
EOI Status: CLOSED
For any questions, please contact the DRA Mobilisation Team.