Mr Whan met volunteers at the Tamworth SES headquarters to thank them for their hard work, present long service awards and hand over the vehicle, along with a $5000 State Government grant for flood rescue equipment for four units in the Tamworth region.
“Safe and reliable vehicles are essential when our volunteers are called to respond to emergencies such as floods, storms and rescues,” Mr Whan said.
“This new Mitsubishi Triton Dual Cab has been specially fitted for storm and flood operations with ladder racking, bull-bar and custom back and will also be used for road crash rescue.
“It will enable the Barraba volunteers to safely respond to requests for help from the public more efficiently.
“The State Government is pleased to support the volunteers with funding of $48,000 for this vehicle, which is a valuable investment in the safety of the residents of Barraba and surrounding areas and also of our volunteers.”
Mr Whan also presented the SES with a $5000 grant for flood rescue equipment for the Tamworth, Nundle, Manilla and Barraba units.
“Last year, the Tamworth local government area was struck by flooding in November and again in December, resulting in damage to property and infrastructure and the rescue of 11 people from floodwaters,” he said.
“This grant will help provide the region’s volunteers with equipment to assist them in flood rescue training and operations, which can be hazardous and difficult in swirling, fast-flowing floodwaters.”
The grant will be used for equipment including a 40kg water rescue training dummy for the Tamworth Unit and specialised rescue gear, such as throw bags and water torpedo rescue tubes, for each of the 8 SES floodboats within the Tamworth local government area. Mr Whan also thanked Reliance Petroleum and BP for their generosity in donating four 2.6 kVa generators, worth $5000, to the Tamworth and Barraba SES Units.
“Reliance Petroleum and BP have donated $40,000 to the SES over the past year as part of a three-year partnership worth $120,000 to provide volunteers with additional equipment,” he said.
“This partnership is an excellent example of the State Government and the private sector working together to enhance the capacity of volunteers to provide assistance during disasters.
"I congratulate Reliance Petroleum and BP for their generosity and commitment to our
community.”
Mr Whan presented Long Service Awards to six volunteers from the Tamworth, Manilla and Nundle SES Units.
“These volunteers have put many hours of their time into storm, flood, community and other activities,” he said. “The people of the Tamworth area know they can rely on dedicated volunteers such as these to help them in emergencies. All the volunteers from the SES deserve our thanks and gratitude.” SES Namoi Region Controller Kath Cain welcomed the new vehicle and equipment.
“The SES plays a vital role in the safety of the community, in particular in responding to floods and storms,” she said.
“The addition of this vehicle and flood rescue equipment will boost our ability to respond to requests for help from the local community and to provide out of area assistance when required.”
Media contact: Garth Montgomery 0408 864 851
