Backs use their powers on another stage.

Since the beginning of Covid-19, the City of Hafnarfjörður has been committed to ensuring that there is no disruption to socially essential services and services that must remain uninterrupted at all levels of civil defence. Guðrún Þorsteinsdóttir, Human Resources Manager for the City of Hafnarfjörður, says this has largely been achieved through the resourcefulness and ingenuity of managers and staff at each individual site, and through a concerted effort by all staff who have signed up for the City of Hafnarfjörður's reserve team. 

The town newspaper Hafnfirðingur Spoke with Guðrún and Lísa Margrét Óskarsdóttir, a trainee pilot and a staff member at Ásvallalaug, who was covering at a nursery as museums and swimming pools are closed.

^{Guðrún Þorsteinsdóttir, Human Resources Manager for the City of Hafnarfjörður, here with the first defender, Lísa Margrét. Photo: Olga Björt}

First full-backs called up in the autumn months 

When the first Covid wave was raging in this country, a new legal provision on civil protection was passed by the Althingi, stating that it is the civic duty of public servants to carry out duties in the service of civil protection in a time of danger. Thus, for example, the City of Hafnarfjörður is authorised to assign staff altered duties and to temporarily transfer them between workplaces to carry out priority tasks. The Borough did not need to use this provision during the first wave, but when the third wave hit in the autumn, the provision was activated again and the first reserve personnel were called out this autumn.

^{While swimming pools are closed, the staff have the opportunity to try another venue. Photo/Eva Ágústa}

50 people put themselves forward this spring

„When we opened registrations for the guard group this spring, people responded quickly, feeling a sense of duty to put themselves forward and giving 50 people a chance.“ Guðrún notes that, fortunately, the town did not need that assistance. „We've been quite lucky. Everything went well this spring and summer, and then in the autumn it all started up again. Due to staff illness or quarantine, we've had to call in other staff, and often at short notice. This way, we have managed to avoid closing whole schools or even half of them, even when an outbreak has occurred. The big difference now and then is that all nurseries and primary schools are open, but are being kept in bubbles, just like in the spring. This also means that fewer people are available for the backup team. Only museums and swimming pools are closed.“

^{Nursery school children benefit from the guard unit. Photo from Hraunvallar nursery school.}

Swimming pool staff started work at a nursery school.

She says that a system has been put in place for registration in a reserve pool and temporary pairing for other roles, thereby ensuring that important factors such as people's knowledge, experience, health and ability to carry out other duties are taken into account. „Four employees of the South Bay Pool and one from the Ásvallalaug Pool, for example, went to work temporarily at a nursery school.“ says Guðrún, pointing out that the staff have such incredibly diverse experience, not least in a workplace of 2,200 people like the City of Hafnarfjörður. „We primarily built up a back-office team for social services, which we also use for the education service. The management and all staff of the municipality have done a tremendous job in organising all their projects to make things work, showing great understanding of the situation and, at the same time, a strong sense of social responsibility.”.

A load of hugs and a kick in the face 

Lísa Margrét was born in 2000 and has worked for a time with Ásvallalaug while studying. She was called to the Vesturkot nursery due to staff illness there. She says she had some previous experience of working with children when she ran a scout course for the City of Hafnarfjörður. „I had been at home for a week when my foreman got in touch and encouraged me to sign up for the reserve team. The call was very welcome and it was good to be able to contribute and use my skills in this way.“  Lísa Margrét completed her theoretical pilot training at the Icelandic Flight School (which merged with Keili) last June, but the practical training then takes each student a varying amount of time. „The timing was good. I dived straight in at the nursery, but it was still much as I'd imagined. On my first day, I got loads of cuddles and a football in the face as well.“ she says, laughing. She adds at the end that she is open to being called to another post if needed and encourages others to sign up for the reserve pool, after all, it's an ideal opportunity to add to one's experience and knowledge base and to get to know other roles within the council.

An interview with Guðrún and Lísa Margrét was published in Hafnfirðinginn on 10 November 2020.