General News
20 September, 2023
SES trio face onslaught of incidents
A CREW of three Victorian State Emergency Service (VICSES) volunteers in Terang faced around one third of their annual callouts in just a few hours when high winds lashed the region earlier this month.
A CREW of three Victorian State Emergency Service (VICSES) volunteers in Terang faced around one third of their annual callouts in just a few hours when high winds lashed the region earlier this month.
A violent storm front passed through the south west on Friday, September 8, which saw 22 Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) Units, including the Terang SES, mobilised to assist with the large number of calls for help.
While Terang was somewhat spared the full impacts felt by communities in Warrnambool and Port Fairy, the Terang SES unit were still tasked with responding to 23 Requests for Assistance (RFAs) on the day.
“We do a lot of tree work,” Terang unit controller Jamie Rowe said.
“We are vulnerable to high winds here and a lot of trees can come down over roads and properties.”
Terang VICSES volunteer Danny Rollo, who works at the local hospital, volunteers with the VICSES as a driver and worked as part of crew of three on the day.
“There was one roof that came down in Nullawarre, which we patched up from the inside, given how gusty it still was,” he said.
VICSES volunteers are trained in the Safe Working at Heights System (SWAHS), if they need to tackle building damage, but SWAHS and its rope-system are not the first option volunteers will take when assessing a job.
If it’s safer to do it inside the house, or work from a ladder, they will do this instead
Mr Rollo was part of a crew of three responding to callouts on the day the storm hit, alongside Mr Rowe and Elizabeth English.
The trio went from job to job until 2.30pm, 5 and a half hours later.
“We don’t have a roster for all the members,” Mr Rollo said.
“The pager goes off and whoever is available will go.
“It’s hard to juggle volunteering and work.
“We could do with more people being available on weekday mornings, especially for Road Crash Rescue (RCR) incidents.”
Even though Mr Rollo has not trained for RCR, he can still assist at incidents by ensuring the tools are ready to go, taking instructions from the crew leader who is managing the incident.
“I like that I’m giving something back to the community, and helping where I can,” he said.
“It’s always a good feeling.
“I didn’t plan on joining VICSES. I tagged along with someone else to an information night, and signed up.”
Mr Rowe said the unit was always on the look out for new members who could dedicate time to giving back to their community.
“We have 11 active members at the unit, but the average age on the high side,” he said.
The unit is actively recruiting volunteers to take on a range of tasks typically needed throughout its response area: chainsaw operation, traffic management, and road crash rescue.
VICSES Terang Unit is the local Road Crash Rescue (RCR) service provider for the Terang community and surrounds, and has responded to five RCR incidents in the local area last year.
Each of VICSES’ 104 accredited units, including Terang, is tested every three years, along with other agencies providing RCR coverage across the state.
Would you like to join Mr Rollo and the VICSES Terang Unit to assist your community in the next big weather event?
For your time, you receive nationally-recognised training with the opportunity to pursue specialist learning pathways such as SWAHS, RCR, and much more.
To learn more visit www.ses.vic.gov.au/join-us/volunteer.