Christchurch's Emergency Response teams are in need of new recruits, with many existing members retiring.
It comes off the back of a challenging decade for the volunteers involved, covering earthquakes, fires and more recently, the terrorist attack on two Christchurch mosques.
On March 15 of this year, they were tasked with assisting St John restocking and cleaning ambulances, and later called upon to open up a family centre at Hagley College for the families of victims of the terrorist attack.
Civil Defence spokesperson Jan Wright's been involved for 30 years and says whilse it's a big commitment and often challenging, it's equally rewarding.
"I take my hats off to all the volunteers, cause they've had family and themselves affected by the events that have occurred in Christchurch, but they still turn up to help the rest of the community," she said.
Teams train once a week, regardless of the weather, specialising in urban search and rescue, communication management and disaster response.
Ms Wright said new blood is vital as they have to be ready to assist, often with little or no notice.
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