Each person must read this information before completing their applications for WIRES volunteering or WIRES volunteer renewal.

The Licence to Rehabilitate Injured, Sick and Orphaned Protected Animals (Licence No MWL000100285) is granted to NSW Wildlife Information Rescue & Education Service Inc. (WIRES) by the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS), a directorate of the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (formerly the Office of Environment and Heritage NSW) in accordance with the provisions of Part 2 of the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (NSW).

Under the Licence, WIRES is (amongst other things) authorised to rescue and rehabilitate nominated Australian native wildlife. As a WIRES volunteer, you will have authority to rescue, and transport nominated Australian native wildlife.

Declaration by Volunteer:

You must carefully read all the Conditions of WIRES Volunteering below and ensure that you meet those conditions if you wish to apply or to renew your WIRES Rescue 101 volunteer authorisation.

If you do not meet all the Conditions of WIRES volunteering below, then you must apply to the Board of WIRES for special permission to join or renew your WIRES volunteer authorisation. The Board of WIRES may, at its sole and exclusive discretion, grant or deny such permission.

If you do not meet all the Conditions of WIRES volunteering below, you can apply to the Board of WIRES for special permission to renew, at [email protected]

Each application for WIRES volunteer authorisation renewal is subject to the sole and unfettered discretion of the Board of WIRES. A decision will be made and communicated to you.

Conditions of WIRES Volunteering:

By proceeding to join WIRES or renew WIRES Volunteer Authorisation, the volunteer agrees to:

WIRES Policies

Clear policies and procedures are required in order for WIRES to operate efficiently, comply with current legislation and to ensure high standards of care. These guidelines set out how volunteers should conduct themselves as representatives of the organisation, and how they should deal with the animals that they are rescuing, handling and/or transporting under the Rescue 101 program. All the policies have been written to comply with the conditions prescribed by the Office of Environment and Heritage.

It is the responsibility of every volunteer to ensure that they adhere to the requirements outlined in the WIRES Rescue 101 Volunteer Terms and Conditions to a satisfactory standard. These policies are available in the Rescue 101 Training Manual.

Responsibilities of WIRES Rescue 101 Volunteer

As a WIRES Rescue 101 volunteer, you are authorised to rescue and transport animals that require rescue assistance as deemed by the WIRES Rescue Office.

The following list is not exhaustive but outlines general rules applicable to WIRES volunteers.

WIRES Reserves The Right:

WIRES Work, Health and Safety (WHS) and You

WIRES has a primary duty of care to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health and safety of WIRES volunteers and other persons, while undertaking volunteer activities or duties. WIRES meets its obligations to its volunteers, so far as is reasonably practicable, to provide a safe and healthy workplace by:

By joining WIRES or renewing your WIRES volunteer authorisation, you are agreeing:

WIRES Insurance and You

WIRES Inc. maintains a personal accident and injury insurance policy on behalf of its volunteers as well as a public liability policy. The insurance policy provides limited cover in the event of death or disablement of a volunteer in the pursuit of WIRES Inc. business.

Volunteers should be aware of the following points:

A copy of the current WIRES Volunteer Personal Accident Insurance Table of Conditions can be provided on request.

Your Privacy and WIRES Inc.

WIRES Inc. collects the following information from you:

WIRES Inc. believes it is necessary for the proper functioning and good governance of the Association to collect this information. WIRES Inc. will only use this information to further the organisation’s objectives. Where required volunteer details may be shared with external organisations such as NPWS.

Certain information must be collected to ensure that a volunteer can act as a rescuer within the network of volunteers, and other information is required to facilitate communication. WIRES will not disclose this information to any non-volunteer, unless required to do so by an officer of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, or other law enforcement officer, or by a Court of Law.

It is compulsory that you read and understand this prior to proceeding with your enrolment, renewal and before commencing any wildlife rescue or transport activities.

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