Home Front Command training volunteer corps for future emergencies

Home Front Command on Wednesday said it is planning to create volunteer units within the local authorities in preparation for future conflict scenarios.

The volunteers will be trained by Home Front Command and will operate in the following capacities: assisting people in bomb shelters, distributing food to and caring for the needy and elderly, assisting disabled children, volunteering in hospitals and providing information to local residents at public service centers.

Home Front Command intends to establish the volunteer corps over the coming months.

The volunteers will operate according to the need of each local authority under the supervision of Home Front Command. The will also be insured by the National Insurance Institute and will be covered by them should they be injured while on duty.

The group will experience its first test in June, as part of a national drill planned by Home Front Command called "Turning Point 3," which will assess Israel's overall preparedness for dealing with various emergency situations.

Two such drills have already taken place in Israel since the Second Lebanon War in 2006. They included alarms sounding across the country and in educational and public institutions and residents entering bomb shelters or other secure locations.