1. Acceptance of these terms
By requesting, accepting, permitting or continuing to receive assistance from Chaverim Melbourne, you acknowledge and agree to these Terms of Service. If you request assistance for another person or property, you represent that you have authority to do so and that these terms are brought to that person’s attention where practicable.
If you do not accept these terms, do not request or accept assistance. In any life-threatening, dangerous or time-critical situation, call Triple Zero (000).
2. No guarantee that calls will be answered
Chaverim Melbourne operates within the Melbourne Eruv area. Calls and requests are monitored and responded to only when suitable volunteer members are available. Coverage, operating hours, member availability, safety, location, traffic, weather, equipment and the nature of the request may affect whether and when a response is possible.
We make no guarantee that any telephone call, voicemail, message or request will be answered, returned, accepted, dispatched, attended within any time, or successfully completed. Never wait for Chaverim where delay could place a person or property at risk. Contact Triple Zero (000), police, fire, ambulance or an appropriate commercial or qualified professional service.
3. Nature of our volunteer assistance
- General assistance is provided by unpaid community volunteers and is always subject to individual volunteer discretion. The smoke alarm installation service is separately intended to be carried out by appropriately qualified and licensed electricians.
- Volunteers generally receive limited, basic or minimum practical training relevant to common assistance tasks. Unless expressly identified as a qualified professional for a particular arranged service, they may not be licensed mechanics, automotive technicians, locksmiths, electricians, gasfitters, tradespeople, security professionals, medical practitioners or emergency responders.
- Chaverim Melbourne is not a substitute for emergency services, police, a qualified tradesperson, a commercial towing or roadside provider, a licensed security provider, an insurer or professional advice.
- We do not promise diagnosis, repair, protection, intervention, a particular outcome, or that a person, vehicle or property will be safe, secure, roadworthy or fit for use.
- We may refuse, pause or stop assistance or patrol activity whenever circumstances appear unsafe, unlawful, unsuitable, beyond the attending person’s ability or equipment, or more appropriate for a professional, police or emergency service.
Chaverim Melbourne is an independent organisation and is also a member of Interstate Chaverim. That membership does not make another member responsible for Chaverim Melbourne, does not create an agency or partnership, does not guarantee a response by any organisation, and does not expand any organisation’s responsibility or liability.
4. Chaverim Safety Patrols and Yom Tov assistance
Chaverim Safety Patrols is a community initiative founded in 2026. Its purposes include providing a visible presence on local streets, observing incidents, reporting incidents to the appropriate authorities and providing practical Yom Tov assistance. Patrol personnel may include Chaverim members, other personnel or contractors. They are not police officers, security guards or emergency responders, do not exercise police powers, and cannot guarantee that conduct, crime, loss, injury or damage will be prevented or detected.
We coordinate with police, but Chaverim Melbourne remains independent. Coordination does not make Chaverim an agent, representative or service of Victoria Police and does not amount to a guarantee, endorsement, supervision or assumption of responsibility by police.
The patrol has received rabbinical approval at an organisational level. This is not personal halachic advice. Each caller, user and community member remains responsible for consulting their own local Rabbi about the proper procedure for requesting, receiving or acting on this service, particularly on Shabbos or Yom Tov.
Information supplied to or observed by patrol personnel may be recorded or reported to police, emergency services or another appropriate authority where reasonably considered necessary for safety, incident management, lawful reporting or compliance with law. In any emergency, danger, crime in progress or situation requiring urgent police, fire or ambulance attendance, call Triple Zero (000) immediately.
5. Free smoke alarm battery service
The smoke alarm battery service is offered free to the community and is subject to registration, eligibility, battery and electrician availability, the stated service dates and hours, property access and safety. Submitting the form does not create or confirm an appointment. An appointment is confirmed only when Chaverim Melbourne contacts you and expressly confirms it.
Free installation is reserved for people genuinely unable to replace their smoke alarm batteries themselves. If you can do it yourself, please use the battery bins and leave these limited places for those who need help. Batteries supplied through this initiative are for smoke alarm use only. Free installations are intended to be carried out by appropriately qualified and licensed electricians. People collecting batteries from the community battery bins remain fully responsible for selecting, installing and testing the correct batteries and for following the smoke alarm manufacturer’s instructions. Chaverim does not certify that an alarm is compliant, correctly located, undamaged, interconnected, within service life or otherwise safe merely because a battery is supplied or changed.
Chaverim Melbourne reserves the right to decline, cancel or reschedule any registration or appointment to suit personnel availability, safety, access, service capacity or other operational requirements. If nobody is available at the property when the electrician attends, the visit will be treated as missed and Chaverim Melbourne will not re-attend. A new appointment is not guaranteed.
The householder must provide safe and reasonable access, disclose relevant hazards, keep children and animals clear, and have authority to permit access and work at the property. An electrician may refuse or stop work if an alarm, electrical installation, access method or surrounding condition appears unsafe, non-compliant, unsuitable or outside the scope of a battery replacement. Any repair, replacement, relocation, rewiring or compliance work outside the stated service is the householder’s responsibility and may require a separately engaged licensed professional.
6. Caller and recipient responsibility
You remain fully responsible for your decisions, conduct, safety, vehicle, keys, property, animals, passengers, belongings and any decision to drive, enter, occupy, operate or continue using a vehicle, appliance or property after assistance.
You must:
- provide complete and accurate information about the situation, location, hazards, vehicle or property and relevant safety concerns;
- confirm that you own, control or are authorised to access and request work on the relevant vehicle, premises or property;
- follow lawful safety directions, keep children and bystanders clear, and not request unlawful or unsafe work;
- inspect the result and obtain qualified professional inspection, repair, towing or other service before relying on or using the affected vehicle, equipment or property; and
- contact emergency services immediately if circumstances become dangerous or time-critical.
Any assessment or suggestion by a dispatcher, patrol member or volunteer is informal only and must not be treated as professional, security, legal or rabbinical advice. Advice given by an independently qualified electrician is subject to that person’s professional role and the scope of the arranged service.
7. Acknowledgement of risk and permission
Roadside, patrol and practical assistance can involve inherent and unexpected risks, including traffic, weather, public places, interactions with other people, unstable vehicles, batteries, fuel, heat, tools, ladders, working at height, sharp objects, electrical systems, smoke alarms, locks, doors, gas controls, unfamiliar locations and pre-existing defects.
You voluntarily accept the risks of requesting and receiving assistance. You authorise an attending member, volunteer, representative, electrician or contractor to take reasonable practical steps that they consider appropriate, but you may withdraw permission before a step is taken. You understand that an attempted solution, observation or report may not work, may be incomplete, and may reveal, worsen or coincide with pre-existing damage, failure or other consequences.
8. Exclusion and limitation of liability
Chaverim Melbourne is not liable for anything connected with the service to the maximum extent permitted by law. This includes direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential loss; property or vehicle damage; personal injury or death; loss of use, income, opportunity, data or belongings; towing, repair, accommodation or alternative-transport costs; and loss arising from delay, cancellation, rescheduling, non-attendance, a missed appointment, incomplete assistance, battery supply or installation, smoke alarm failure, patrol activity, observation, reporting, failure to observe or report, advice, an act or omission, or reliance on any member, volunteer, representative, electrician or contractor.
This exclusion applies to Chaverim Melbourne, its committee members, officers, dispatchers, patrol personnel, members, volunteers, contractors, representatives and service partners, whether a claim is framed in contract, negligence, tort, statute or otherwise.
Nothing in these terms excludes, restricts or modifies a consumer guarantee, statutory right, duty or liability that cannot lawfully be excluded, restricted or modified. Where liability cannot be excluded but may lawfully be limited, it is limited to the minimum remedy permitted by law.
9. Your liability and indemnity
To the maximum extent permitted by law, you are responsible for loss, damage, injury, claims, costs and expenses arising from your inaccurate or incomplete information, lack of authority, unsafe or unlawful instruction, breach of these terms, or conduct by you or people under your control.
You agree to indemnify Chaverim Melbourne and its members, volunteers, personnel and contractors against third-party claims arising from those matters, except to the extent a liability cannot lawfully be excluded or was caused by conduct for which the law does not permit Chaverim Melbourne to be indemnified.
10. No warranties
Except for rights that cannot be excluded by law, assistance, patrol activity and the smoke alarm battery service are provided “as is” and “as available”, without any warranty or representation about availability, appointments, timing, skill level, observation, reporting, prevention, intervention, diagnosis, outcome, alarm compliance or operation, safety, security, roadworthiness, fitness for purpose or freedom from damage.
11. Third-party services and donations
External donation, mapping, telephone, electrician, towing, repair, emergency, police, authority, affiliate-organisation and social-media services operate under their own terms and policies. Chaverim Melbourne is not responsible for their availability, acts, omissions, content, charges or information handling. A link, report, coordination arrangement or listing does not make Chaverim Melbourne responsible for another organisation or platform.
Tax-deductible donations linked from this website are processed and receipted by Chibas Hachesed, an endorsed Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR). Chibas Hachesed is the donation processor and receipt issuer; Chaverim Melbourne does not itself process payment-card details or issue those DGR receipts. Donors should retain their receipt and obtain their own tax advice about deductibility in their circumstances.
12. Privacy
Our Privacy Policy explains how we handle personal information connected with calls, dispatch, assistance, Safety Patrols, Yom Tov assistance, smoke alarm registrations and appointments, volunteers, applicants, donors and website use.
13. General terms
These terms are governed by the laws of Victoria, Australia. If a provision is invalid or unenforceable, it is to be read down to the minimum extent necessary or severed without affecting the remainder. A delay in enforcing a right is not a waiver.
We may update these terms. The version in effect when assistance is requested will apply, to the extent permitted by law.
14. Contact
For questions, call 03 8609 9246. For emergencies, call Triple Zero (000).