Are you an empathetic person with a passion to support others, able to build relationships with people and a good communicator? 

Can you be flexible to respond to a major incident where you may need to travel and stay away from home? 

Do you want to make a difference and help people experiencing trauma due to a major incident on the railway?

Then volunteering as an Incident care team member could be for you!

All train operating companies have incident care teams in place. This is not only due to our responsibilities under the Contingency Act, but because it is the right thing to do. Incident care teams have been in place for a number of years, and when deployed have made a huge and positive impact to those involved in major rail incidents.

 Incident care teams are specially selected volunteers who have been trained in how to respond to the needs of survivors and their families in the hours and days immediately following any event requiring a humanitarian response.

As an incident care team member, you would not attend an incident site but would attend one of the locations survivors or their family and friends may attend such as survivor reception centre, hospitals and friends and family centres. You would work closely with other responding agencies such as the BTP family liaison officers, local authorities and hospital personnel.

As a team member your role would be to have direct contact with those affected to provide practical support such as clothes and toiletries, and support with a physical presence where the person may find themselves away from home and loved ones and without any possessions.

 You will also be trained for the Incident Care Team Leader role which would support and manage deployed team members at various locations such as a survivor reception centre, hospitals and friends and family centres.

Successful applicants are provided with an initial 2-day (Team Member) and 1 day (Team Leader) training course, followed by an annual 1-day refresher for each role per year.

 Please note this is a volunteer role. If you are required to be deployed there is no additional payment, you would receive your normal salary for the period that you are deployed.

For more information please visit Avanti West Coast's Incident Care Team