Case studies

Staplehurst Emergency Help Team (SEHT)

This highly organised team was originally set up by volunteers to support the community, following a major fire in the large village of Staplehurst, Kent in 2010. With many residents needing to be evacuated from their homes, it was identified that more localised plans were needed to better support such incidents. Since then, the team has grown from strength to strength, with around 35 local volunteers who can be called upon around the clock to provide extra help when needed for this rural community hub located south of Maidstone, in Kent.

Getting organised

In video, Team member Chis Rhodes talks about how the team organises itself and the kinds of emergencies it can be called on to assist with. He discusses local risks for the surrounding area, the parish’s emergency resilience plans, and the roles activities they team may be activated to undertake before, during and after an emergency. 

The team has a range of skills and competencies, personal protective gear and communications equipment, and many of the volunteers team have completed free online training courses offered by Communities Prepared, including preparing for snow, flooding and utilities outages. 

Assessing the risks

A key risk in the village is isolation of the community due to in impacts of storms and fallen trees in the village and keeping the vital road artery that runs through. Chris is keen to highlight that they are in no way a replacement to the emergency services who have the statutory responsibility to deal with such incidents and maintain public safety. They can, however, provide appropriate practical support when needed and act as a vital on-the-ground link, offering a helping hand and support the community during emergencies.​

Community support

The SEHT is well established within the community, and their volunteers run a local emergency helpline, as well as a Facebook page to communicate and update residents. The team is run independently, with support from the parish council, local donations, grants, and fundraising efforts. Volunteers can often be seen out and about raising awareness about the team at local events, assuring people that help is at hand when needed.

Advice to other parish and town councils starting out

Chris’s advice to other parishes looking to provide similar resilience support to their community is to keep it simple - work out what you want to help with, work to your strengths and capabilities, and tailor you plan to do what you can to be helpful with the resources that you have, while ensuring that you are staying safe and not putting yourselves at risk.

The team would be happy to talk with anyone who wishes to learn more about the team and what community resilience planning involves