Isle of Man Civil Defence Corps

In an emergency always call 999 and provide as much detail as possible. First responders will be dispatched to deal with the emergency situation as appropriate by the Emergency Services Joint Control Room (ESJCR).

The Island’s emergency services will call out the  Emergency Planning Officer if assistance is needed from Civil Defence with a civil emergency.

Civil Defence on Parade Tynwald 2019 

The IOM Civil Defence Corps provides the Emergency Planning Unit with initial support for a variety of events. . This may include rehoming individuals, families or communities as necessary, assisting with weather incidents or as part of the inland hill search and rescue team.

During 2018/2019  Civil Defence volunteers worked in excess of  5800 hours to assist in keeping our Island a safe place to live..

Hill search and rescue

Civil Defence form part of the Inland Search and Rescue Team  and train weekly, sometimes in the harshest of winter conditions to ensure they are able to operate throughout the year.  They are also often called upon to assist the police in finding missing people.

Safe Walking Tips

Make sure that someone knows where you are going and what your route and timings are going to be

Wear appropriate footwear and clothing and layer up.  The weather can move in quite quickly on the Island, especially on the hills and Snaefell.  It might be sunny when you start off but it can get colder as you go higher.  Wear bright colours so you can be seen easily.

Have an idea of basic navigation and take a map and compass with you.  Mobile phones have good GPS information on them but know how to use it.  There are also some good apps available to assist with navigation.  Back this up with What3Words which can be passed to ESJCR if you do become lost.

Take some food and drinks with you, it’s important to maintain your energy levels

Take a torch or head torch but plan your route to ensure you should be off the hills before it becomes dark.

Flooding

All Civil Defence volunteers are trained in basic domestic salvage techniques, the safe use and maintenance of water pump equipment and the use of sandbags. During high tides and severe weather IOM Civil Defence works alongside other emergency services and local authorities to alleviate the effects of flooding and to assist in the salvage of items.

Emergency catering

Members are trained in the setting up and operation of emergency feeding centres and the rapid provision of hot drinks and light meals at any location. All IoM Civil Defence volunteers involved in such activities undertake a basic food handling and hygiene course. Regular catering assistance is supplied to the other emergency services during long call outs such as at serious fires and police investigations.

Rest centres

Civil Defence is responsible for the initial opening and running of rest centres.. If people have to be evacuated from their homes for an emergency incident,  ie flooding or fire, or as an uninjured survivor from another type of accident, they would be found accommodation if they were unable to make arrangements to stay with friends or family. Large numbers of evacuees would be accommodated in sports halls or schools. Civil Defence have a stock of 500 camp beds and the capability of opening a rest centre for up to 350 people in the National Sports Centre.

Supporting the Community

Civil Defence also support many fundraising events throughout the year by providing first aiders, marshals and hill search teams to ensure that the events go ahead safely.  We are proud to be associated with the Parish Walk, Relay for Life, End2End Walk, Firemans Walk, Manx Mountain Marathon and all the other events that we have supported for many years.

If you would like further information or are looking for support during a local event please contact: