Great Southern community to wear orange on May 21 in support of local State Emergency Service volunteers
Department of Fire and Emergency Services Great Southern Supt Wayne Green said the day recognises the 'great work' of SES volunteers.
'Not only them as volunteers, the commitments their families make when they support volunteers when they go out usually in adverse conditions to help the community out,' he said.
SES volunteers attended 233 incidents across the region over 2021 hours between May 1, 2024, and May 6, 2025, including 54 severe weather events, 20 large bushfires, 19 rescues and patient lifts, and 26 road crash rescues.
The volunteers' skills vary from rappelling off cliffs to rescue people to securing roofs in bad weather with their support in natural hazards, storms and bushfires essential to keeping the community safe.
'They're the same volunteers that are out during the storm season that are then flat out during fire season supporting those operations,' Supt Green said.
'They can do everything from ferrying resources around to getting food and critical supplies out to our firefighters right through to conducting or looking after staging areas where we've got a large volume of resources responding where they're at.'
Supt Green said they were 'quite often' called to climb the Stirling Range to assist with rescues.
'SES are quite often called upon to climb to the top of Bluff Knoll and provide that manpower to assist with getting casualties or people who are in distress down to a safer location,' he said.
'Usually that's in arduous conditions, not only in terms of the climbs and the distances they've got to travel, but the weather conditions they're exposed to.
'And sometimes climbing overnight and then getting up again first thing in the morning to go and do it again.'
Supt Green said Wear Orange Wednesday was a 'small token' of appreciation for their efforts, always going 'above and beyond'.
'Doesn't matter what the task, how big, how small, they're always putting their hands up to come and provide that support,' he said.
Across WA, SES volunteers have attended 2464 incidents across 23,725 hours.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
7NEWS
2 days ago
- 7NEWS
Couple winched from Queensland mountain after rescuers spend nine hours trying to reach them on the ground
A couple has been winched to safety after spending a freezing night lost on Mount Cougal in Queensland 's Springbrook National Park. Experienced hikers Steve Lye and his partner, Shez, had set out for a scenic trek in the Currumbin Valley, in the state's southeast, but lost their way on the descent. Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today The couple, aged in their 50s, found themselves in dense bushland with light fading fast and temperatures dropping to near zero. 'We could see the stars, it was a clear night,' Steve told 7NEWS. 'But it was freezing. Lucky I had someone to cuddle.' They managed to get a phone signal to call for help about 6pm but rescuers could not reach them. Ground crews 'hiked for around nine hours looking for us, and they did find us but because the terrain was so difficult to get through, they had to backtrack,' Steve explained. Then 'a cliff would get in their way, so they had to backtrack again'. Police and State Emergency Service officers were in communication with the pair overnight before their location was pinpointed about 8am on Monday. The Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter was then called in. 'The first challenge was finding them, the next was finding a gap in that canopy to winch them out,' Brenden Scoffell from Surf Life Saving Queensland (SLSQ) said. 'Compared to our usual bread and butter which is out in the surf, it's very challenging. 'It was a very good outcome.' SLSQ said: 'Despite their phone battery going flat and being found in largely inhospitable terrain with minimal visibility below the tree canopies, the pair were winched to safety and dropped off near their vehicle.' The couple was assessed by Queensland Police and found to be in 'reasonable health and spirits'. Steve and Shez suffered a few minor cuts and abrasions but were otherwise in good health and were flown straight back to their own car without seeking further medical treatment. 'They put their lives at risk, so a massive thank you,' Steve said to 7NEWS of the rescue teams.
West Australian
02-07-2025
- West Australian
Pingelly receives $20k FRRR and Suncorp grant for new SES building mural to celebrate first-responder vollies
Only one regional emergency service group in WA has received the nationwide Rebuilding Futures grant shared between 14 communities to boost resilience and preparedness in disaster-impacted areas. The Shire of Pingelly has received $20,000 from Foundation for Rural Regional Renewal and Suncorp for a mural titled 'Giants Among Us' for the State Emergency Service building depicting the SES, volunteer fire and rescue service, volunteer bush fire brigade and St John WA volunteers. The SES two-storey building will undergo a three-week transformation by regional large-scale artist Jerome Davenport in October. Shire of Pingelly chief executive Andrew Dover said the project would celebrate existing volunteers and inspire those upcoming. 'We look up to these volunteers, so that was the inspiration to physically look up to a large building and large figures,' he said. 'This will be inspirational for not only the existing volunteers demonstrating that we value them, but also future volunteers to know these people are respected in our community and it is something to aspire to. 'We have about 240 emergency service volunteers within the community which makes up about a quarter of our population, and it's just amazing. 'We are hoping this will subtly increase volunteers in our emergency services.' Other projects sharing the $316,822 grant included a practical training event covering various flood safety measures in Main Arm, NSW, fire resilience solutions in Brukunga, South Australia and various disaster preparedness workshops in Goulburn Valley, Victoria. Mr Dover said Pingelly was proud to be the only WA town to receive the grant and sees it as a huge community achievement. Pingelly SES local manager of 38 years Bill Mulroney said it will increase local preparedness by bringing attention to the services provided by the town. 'It's before their eyes, it'll be a striking image that that can't help but look at and it'll trigger their thought process to make sure they are prepared for any emergency we have,' Mr Mulroney said. 'Pingelly is a great little community and we should be able to keep it that way.' The shire's grant success follows the opening of two new volunteer fire brigade buildings in June in East and West Pingelly.
Canberra Times
16-06-2025
- Canberra Times
Oh, for a life where every day is the best day ever
Dale leaps to its defence: "Let me share a few words of defence of the old tart. I have been living in the inner city since the 1960s and am proud of being in protests, supporting the Green bans and stopping the bulldozers knocking down the Rocks, Glebe and Ultimo. Everything you need is conveniently in walking distance or via a variety of public transport. From theatres, hospitals to shopping and community centres it doesn't take long to be there. There are lots of activities from choirs to tai chi groups where everyone is welcoming and supporting, especially in discussions over coffee."
