Join the team
HOW TO JOIN US
Are there any qualifications or other criteria that I need to join?
- For Operational roles, you must own a fully road legal 4×4, and not have more than 6 points on your driving licence, which you must have held for at least 3 years.
- We ask that all members undergo a formal identity check and a vetting check. We do this because, amongst other reasons, many of our deployments will find us transporting vulnerable people.
- Before being deployed operationally, we require you to attend a training day, in order to familiarise you with our operating procedures, and give you information on how to act when deployed.
- We also have opportunities for non-operational members to help us in many different support roles, for example: Fundraisers, or Controllers to manage the deployments and liaise with our service users; or you may have other qualifications, skills or experience that you may bring for the benefit of our charity.
- Last and not least, it’s good to have some enthusiasm and a willingness to help others in difficult situations (you probably wouldn’t be reading this page if you didn’t).
What is the commitment?
There is no binding commitment. All our members are volunteers, which means that you can give as much time, or as little time, as you can afford with no obligation at any time to individually respond to any callout. As a group we are available 24 hours per day, 365 days of the year, each responder only need contribute what fits with their other life commitments. If a member can only contribute a few times a year, that’s still valuable, as every deployment undertaken is one more that may otherwise not have been covered. Our system works on the basis of having sufficient numbers of members, that there will always be a percentage that will be available at any time, whatever the time of day, week or year.
Do I get paid? Will it cost me anything?
Our Charity is made up entirely of unpaid volunteers, who give their time and use of their own 4×4 vehicles, to help the emergency services, local authorities and health services in emergency situations, where their normal transport is unable to cope because of the weather or terrain, or their transport resources are depleted due to other concurrent incidents. Members will receive free training in how we operate and what to do when called out, and will be able to claim for any fuel expenditure incurred when deployed. We do ask for a small annual membership fee of £15 per year. This is to cover the equipment issued and administrative costs; We also require a £100 deposit for equipment which is provided for you to use.
Do I need a tooled up truck?
No. Our focus is on the safe and comfortable transportation of key emergency services staff from one location to another in adverse weather conditions. We are not a 4×4 club looking for “mud pluggers”. That said, there is a place for all types of all wheel drive vehicles in a 4×4 Response group. Each vehicle type has it’s uses, as comfort for a passenger on a hard packed snow road is as important for some incidents as the ability to cross a ploughed field would be in others. Having said that, 95% of our callouts are on public roads, if you have a 4×4, whatever it’s make, we have a role for it.
How do I join?
To start the process of joining our group, please email us (recruitment@surrey4x4response.org) to receive and complete our application form. Once completed, a copy will be sent to our Membership Secretary who will invite you to our annually held induction (normally March). This will give you an opportunity to see what we do and ask any further questions you may have about 4×4 Response, what we do and how you can be part of our support to the community.
Please allow a minimum of two weeks for your application to be processed, we are all volunteers after all! If you haven’t had a reply after a couple of weeks, it is possible an email has got lost in a spam trap. Please feel free to get in touch via the contact us form.
If you have any questions that are not answered above, then please don’t hesitate to contact us.
NEXT Induction – April/May 2023