Mr. Fergal Conroy:

It depends on what the local organisation does within the county, the working relationship with the local authority, and the structure of the Civil Defence office and the team around the officer. Social media can make a difference. Small things like constant and regular positive updates and information about what the organisation does, in both good times and bad, can trigger people and encourage them to get involved. It is not something that people can just join overnight. One cannot become a Civil Defence member in a few hours; it takes years of training and experience as well as an understanding of one's role and where one could end up. It could be very local, or it could be regionalised or national. When we put out messages, we see an increase in interest. There was no active social media account when I joined in Offaly but now that account is very active. It has grown through posting small snippets of information and we have gotten new members in because of that work.