Paula Kelsall

Background

About Paula Kelsall

The Senior Emergency Response Officer for Wales with the British Red Cross, leading a team of Emergency Response Officers and volunteers, specialising in crisis coordination, community resilience, and frontline humanitarian support. Dedicated to ensuring that people affected by emergencies receive fast, compassionate, and well organised assistance, from the earliest moments of an incident through to recovery.I lead operational responses to a wide range of incidents, including severe weather events, major fires, evacuations, and other complex situations requiring urgent humanitarian support. As part of my wider responsibilities, I also serve as an on call, out of hours Duty Manager for the UK, providing national oversight, decision making, and escalation management to ensure consistent, high quality service delivery 24/7.My role combines frontline team leadership with strategic capability. I work closely with local authorities, emergency services, government partners, and voluntary sector organisations to strengthen preparedness, improve multi agency coordination, and enhance our organisational resilience. I contribute to the development of response plans, training programmes, and strategic frameworks that support both local and national readiness.Recognised for calm leadership under pressure, strong decision making, and a commitment to the highest standards of care for both service users and volunteers. I also play a key part in training new responders, creating a confident and capable workforce.