They’re the angels in orange who come to our aid during storms, searches and rescues. But being an SES volunteer can also come with some awesome new skills.
1. Chainsaws
Why it’s awesome: Office workers especially love to get dirty and noisy with chainsaws. Most people never get to learn how to grab a chainsaw and carve up a fallen tree – well, here’s your chance.
2. Working safely at heights
Why it’s awesome: Get harnessed up, and get out of your comfort zone. If you’re looking for a new challenge, standing on a two-storey roof doing storm damage repairs would be a great place to start.
SES volunteer hours contributed per month - just in Ipswich city
3. Floodboat
Why it’s awesome: Ipswich has fantastic training grounds in our backyard, including Wivenhoe Dam, Bremer River and Brisbane River. Who wouldn’t love spending time out on the water, learning new skills in a fully-equipped floodboat!
4. Landsearch
Why it’s awesome: This is an area where you can make a difference, so charge up the Fitbit and get in some steps. SES respond to requests for assistance from police when searching for missing people, gathering evidence and more.
SES Week (October 7-15)
Shine the spotlight on the dedication of SES members and the invaluable services they perform within the community. In Ipswich, the SES provide services such as short-term temporary emergency repairs, search, flood rescue and community education.
Ipswich City SES Unit has four groups at Ipswich, Redbank Plains, Rosewood and Marburg. See Facebook for details of the group open days on Saturday October 14.
Get Ready Queensland Week (October 8-15)
Disaster resilience is about more than just good preparation or effective responding. It is about accepting that extreme weather is part of living in Queensland, and preparing to handle it accordingly.
There are ways anyone can be involved:
2. Get ready – Make preparations around your home – clean gutters, secure loose items, ensure fire breaks exist where appropriate, have an emergency kit
3. Sign up to receive SMS, email or smartphone app notifications for severe weather, bushfire alerts and local amber alerts – go to ipswich.qld.gov.au/myipswichalerts
4. Keep up to date with road conditions, power outages and more during an event at emd.ipswich.qld.gov.au
