The British Red Cross and West Yorkshire police celebrated their new partnership by signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Tuesday 24 May at the Red Cross office in Leeds.

The agreement means that Red Cross staff and volunteers will be on call to provide the West Yorkshire Police with support at major incidents and will provide transport for West Yorkshire Police staff when undertaking duties or when answering ‘cause for concern’ calls.

The Red Cross in Yorkshire currently has over 100 staff and volunteers who can help in an emergency, two 4x4 Land Rovers and other vehicles to support to West Yorkshire Police when required.

Tanya Greenwell, British Red Cross senior service manager for emergency response said: “We’re proud that we are able to provide our resources to support West Yorkshire Police, helping them to respond, in an emergency to reach as many vulnerable people as possible. Our staff and volunteers are trained to provide a whole range of support, from emergency first aid to emotional support to people affected by a major incident. We are also equipped to provide transport and specialist equipment if required.”

Chief inspector Nicola Heppenstall, West Yorkshire resilience forum manager said: “When responding to emergencies, it is crucial that the emergency services and local authorities are able to rely upon such valuable support from Voluntary Sector Organisations such as the British Red Cross. We welcome and actively encourage wider partnership working with non-statutory organisations both in the planning, response and recovery phase when dealing with a range of emergency situations. West Yorkshire Police will look forward to working with the Red Cross on a more formal footing.”

If you would like more information on volunteering for the British Red Cross please visit: www.redcross.org.uk
 
Other services offered by the Red Cross is West Yorkshire include: care in the home, event first aid, first aid training, emergency response, medical equipment loan, tracing and messaging service, refugee services and the fire and emergency support service.