SES Celebrate National Volunteer Week

This week is National Volunteer Week, a time for the community to celebrate the achievements of Australia's 5.4 million volunteers. Amongst the best known of the nation's volunteers are those from the State Emergency Service. Nationally there are over 43,000 volunteers with over 10,000 in New South Wales alone.

In the past year the state has endured a succession of severe storms and floods commencing with the Hunter and Central Coast floods and storms over last year’s June long weekend. That event alone cost the community well over one billion dollars and tragically claimed nine lives.

Since then the state has experienced damaging hailstorms in both Lismore and Blacktown, flooding along the Richmond, Manning, Bogan, Paroo and Castlereagh Rivers, and a multitude of smaller events.

At the same time SES volunteers have continued to perform the many other roles they are tasked with. This includes road crash rescue, vertical rescue, searches for lost and missing persons and evidence searches. The SES has also expanded the number of units undertaking the new role of Community First Responder, established in a partnership with the NSW Ambulance Service, providing potentially life-saving first aid to isolated communities.

According to Greg Slater, Acting Director General of the Service, in the past year SES volunteers have experienced their busiest period in nearly three decades.

"As a community we should pause during National Volunteer Week to thank these extraordinary people for their courage, determination and commitment. Through their efforts the community has been better prepared for, and more able to withstand and recover from disaster."

"My thanks and that of all staff at the SES to the Service's many volunteers on a job well done."