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Community Crisis Response

When a crisis hits the community, the Salvation Army responds. One of the ways that The Salvation Army helps is with our Community Crisis Response Vehicle. This kitchen-on-wheels is dispatched to the trouble spot with a team of trained volunteers who immediately set up support services.

In major disasters such as the BC forest fires in 2003, we get the call to help from the Province of British Columbia. The Salvation Army and other agencies have all been assigned specific roles by the province. Our assigned role is personal services. During the fires, we facilitated the reception centre, answering questions, listening, and offering comfort and counselling. Our vehicle was set up in the area to provide food for the displaced residents and, when needed, for emergency workers as well.

Our Local mandate

We provide the same support in our local community in times of emergency. We could be called by the fire department or for a search and rescue incident. When we get the call, we bring the emergency vehicle to the location and our volunteer team sets up whatever is needed. We feed the emergency workers and make sure that they have hot or cold drinks. We will also go into situations (such as the flooding that an island community experienced) and bring food and support to the residents.

“Without a doubt, the agency that impressed me the most on this assignment, and continually impressed me on so many fronts, was The Salvation Army. When the logistical dilemma of unloading, sorting, storing and maintaining goods arose, The Salvation Army accepted the immense responsibility despite the fact that it was beyond the scope of its commitment as a partner agency in ESS. In addition to this issue, The Salvation Army did incredible things in their Personal Services role, as did the folks manning the food trucks.” — Mike Andrews, in an article for the Emergency Social Services Association, describing the situation at the massive interior fires during the summer of 2003.