News

NSW SES volunteers often work beyond responding to floods, storms, and tsunamis. Unit Commander of Cessnock City Unit, Jennifer Ehmsen is a wonderful example of utilising her diverse background to improve SES capabilities. 

Jennifer has been a volunteer with the NSW SES for more than 10 years, having originally joined the Scone Unit in 1989.  

“I transferred to the Cowra Unit in 1990 and then to ACT SES from 1993 to 1996. I had a break for many years due to work and other commitments,” Commander Ehmsen said. 

“I have always had an interest in disaster management and was involved in local emergency management committees working as a town planner for both Scone and Cowra Shire Councils. It was a logical progression to volunteer.” 

Jennifer has been an active member of the Cessnock Unit since 2019 and became Unit Commander in 2021. In that time, she has overseen the rebuild of the Unit growing it from seven active members to 25 today. 

“When I started in 2019, we often had to rely on other units to assist when jobs came in. I became Unit Commander in 2021, and together with a good unit command team, we have been able to grow the Unit to about 25 active members, taking care of our own jobs, and even having members deploy to assist out of area or assist other units in our cluster and zone,” she said. 

Jennifer recalls the floods that affected the Wollombi area in July 2022 as a really challenging time, but ultimately, one that improved her capability and management of the team. 

“It was really full on for about five or six days. Normally we would get 200 to 220 jobs a year. We got 230 jobs in the space of a couple of days, so that was a lot for us to complete,” Commander Ehmsen said. 

“As Unit Commander, I found it challenging to keep up with providing strategic direction and organising teams, while at the same time, training new members in operations at a local level, over about ten days of operational activity,” she said. 

She particularly remembers the flooding in the Wollombi Pub as a confronting moment. 

“All you could see is the Wollombi Pub’s roof. It went right to ceiling level. We couldn’t even get through, so we had an airbase operating out of Cessnock.” 

“Some of the evacuations we had to do by air out of there were people who were staying in Airbnbs who didn’t understand the risk and weren’t prepared.” 

“It was a challenge, but we got through it and now we’re better for it because the next time we get something like that I’ve got members who understand what needs to be done.”  

As for what keeps her going in those challenging moments, Jennifer says she gets great personal satisfaction from helping others. 

“Knowing we are helping our community when people are often experiencing some of their worst moments. I often hear people say, ‘I couldn't do anything like that’ but I believe anyone can achieve almost anything if they are willing to put in the time and effort,” she said.  

“There are lots of roles within the SES that do not require members to get on a roof or operate a chainsaw. A good ground crew on a storm job is invaluable. Even having someone in ops keeping tabs on how many members are out in the field, for how long and when and where they will need to be fed. These are the roles that underpin the work that we do in the field.” 

You can find out more about becoming a NSW SES volunteer here: https://www.ses.nsw.gov.au/get-involved/volunteer/