Estonia plans crisis reserves for nearly 5,000 volunteers

Estonia’s Ministry of the Interior is preparing to establish crisis reserves in the rescue and security fields, with nearly 5,000 volunteers eventually expected to join them, ERR reported.

The reserves would include volunteer rescuers, sea rescuers, bomb-disposal specialists and assistant police officers. The ministry is seeking legal changes to create new reserves for situations in which existing rescue, police, maritime rescue or bomb-disposal personnel are insufficient.

Such situations could include large forest fires or floods during peacetime. The state is also preparing to defend itself against possible aggression, including a migration attack or war.

Kristen Kanarik, an adviser at the Ministry of the Interior, said current legislation allows assistant police officers and auxiliary bomb-disposal specialists to be assigned a crisis role. The proposed amendments would extend that role to volunteers at the emergency response centre, volunteer rescuers and volunteer sea rescuers.

People would join the reserve voluntarily. If the government decided their assistance was needed during a crisis, they could be called in to help resolve it. The law would give them the right to take leave from work for that purpose.

Kanarik said the ministry believed at least 5,000 volunteers with crisis roles would be needed to carry out crisis-related tasks.

Margo Klaos, head of Estonia’s Rescue Board, said the agency initially planned to recruit about 500 people for the new volunteer rescue reserve. It would first seek people who already had relevant training, including former Rescue Board employees who had left because of low pay, unsuitable working arrangements, a change of residence or another reason but were willing to return during a crisis.

The Rescue Board also expects to recruit people without previous professional experience who want to contribute more and help others during a crisis. They would be offered volunteer rescue training and prepared for the reserve.

Like military reservists, members of the rescue crisis reserve would take part in reserve training events and exercises. The plan also includes social guarantees.

Kanarik said people attending planned crisis-role training would be allowed to leave work, retain their jobs and return to them afterwards.