Gaining skills and building relationships - my experience on the UK Operations course

Over a bright but cold weekend in February, I attended the REACT Disaster Response UK Operations Course, held for the first time in the grounds of Stanford Hall near Northampton. I joined the operations team at REACT HQ a few months ago, but this was my first experience of a training course and I was keen to find out what our Responders undertake to be able to deploy. I also wanted to take part and complete the training myself, so that I could support our volunteers and the communities we help. It was a brilliant weekend full of learning opportunities. It covered everything from best communication techniques with the public to building clearance following floods. The learning was grounded in a half-day exercise, where we got to put our new-found knowledge to the test in a range of practical role-play scenarios.

Amongst the various tasks and exercises, there were opportunities to get to know other students and current Responders through downtime chats. There were also presentations about the Responder journey and deploying in the UK and internationally. I loved finding out about everyone’s incredibly diverse backgrounds. How they came across REACT, what they would like to get out of their time volunteering and what experience they can bring to the role, all of which were so multifaceted. 

Throughout the weekend, I was a part of ‘Response Team 2’ which was led by two fantastic mentors. They showed us the ropes, supporting us every step of the way and helped to answer all of the questions we had about everything REACT. I can safely say that I would most definitely want to deploy on the ground with any of the team.

It’s clear to me why REACT is so successful in its deployments. It's due to the skills and experience held by its volunteers. They come from all walks of life, but have one amazing thing in common; a desire to help people. I drove back home to Dorset with an immense sense of achievement, but also with great excitement for what opportunities lie ahead having become a REACT Responder. The 'Responder Buzz' is real!

If you would like to find out more about volunteering for REACT, click here to sign up to our volunteer portal and start your training.