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Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is Civil Defence / What do we do? |
| Civil Defence is a volunteer-based organisation originally founded in the 1950's to be part of the national defence structure as the necessary civil response to potential hazards that might arise in a war situation. The Civil Defence role today has changed principally to that of acting in support of the emergency services and in carrying out community support activities. Since 2003, Civil Defence operates at national level under the direction of a new State Authority known as the Civil Defence Board. Services, such as, Casualty, Rescue, Auxillary Fire, Warden & Radiation Monitoring , Welfare and Communications, are delivered locally through Local Authorities, who appoint a Civil Defence Officer to oversee the planning, organising and recruiting for Civil Defence and who also acts as the essential link between the volunteer, community, local authority and the organisation nationally. |
| 2. How to Join / Membership of the organisation? |
To join the civil defence organisation or to obtain details of the services offered in your area please contact the Civil Defence Officer in your local authority area. Contact details for all Civil Defence Officers are available on the Home Page under How to Join or by clicking on this link. All new members must complete an enrolment form.
3. What are the minimum and maximum age limits for membership of Civil Defence ?
A person joining Civil Defence must be 16 years of age on the date of Enrolment. The upper age limit is 65 years of age but this can be increased to a maximum of 70 years of age in the case of Senior Wardens. |
| 4. What skills do I need to join? / What training / services are available? |
Civil Defence offer members the opportunity to train in a variety of skills and to learn new techniques that will not only assist your local community in the event of an emergency but will also enhance your own personal development. Centrally run training courses, which run from January to May and again from September to December, are offered in the following areas:
Casualty Service - training is offered in life saving, intermediate, advanced and instructor levels to deal with casualties and provide a first-aid and ambulance service.
Rescue Service - training in urban rescue, open country search for missing persons and water based search and recovery.
Auxillary Fire Service - training in certain areas of fire fighting such as pump and ladder drills. Pumping floodwaters and supplying water and emergency supports to the community.
Warden Service & Radiation Monitoring - training in general nuclear radiation topics and in the use of radiation detection instruments is provided for Scientific Officer members of the organisation. These individuals will generally have engineering, scientific or other technical background.
Welfare Service - training in aftercare for disaster victims. Training in food preparation is carried out in accordance with HACCP standards.
Communications - training in VHF, UHF and marine VHF radio operations and procedures including the familiarisation and correct use of all items of radio equipment operated by Civil Defence. |
| 5. How much time do I have to give? |
| The amount of time you devote to the organisation will depend on your own time constraints allied to the demands of the organisation locally. Two hours per week could be perceived as the minimum attendance rate weekly. However, subject to your availability, participation in training classes and in the delivery of community supports may involve extra hours. |
| 6. Who can call out a Civil Defence team? |
Civil Defence will respond to emergency calls for assistance from the Gardaí, Fire Service, Health Authorities, Local Authorities, Irish Coastguard, and Government Departments. At local level emergency responses are mainly co-ordinated by the Gardaí.
Community supports will be assisted, where possible, subject to the availability of resources. Please contact the Civil Defence Officer for your local authority area. A list of Civil Defence Units is available by clicking here |
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