People from around the State can show their appreciation for the hard work and dedication of the State’s 1900 FESA State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers during National SES Week between 7-14 November 2010. Twenty four hours a day, seven days a week SES volunteers across Western Australia make themselves available to assist and protect others. Over the past twelve months SES volunteers attended to more than 680 incidents helping Western Australians through some of the worst natural disasters in the State’s history.
Volunteers worked tirelessly helping communities following a category 5 cyclone in the North West, the destructive March hailstorm, significant earthquake in Kalgoorlie Boulder and assisted during the devastating Toodyay bushfire. Then there are the countless hours they spend training and educating people like you, about how to prepare and respond to a range of natural and manmade disasters.
National SES Week gives you a chance to recognise and formally thank volunteers for their commitment and dedication to making our State and local communities safer. It is also a time to recognise the many families, friends and employers who provide volunteers with a tremendous amount of support.
How you can get involved:
Say thanks and win
Show your appreciation for WA’s SES volunteers by sending them a personal message. Thanks to Paramount a handful of the best thank you messages will be rewarded with double passes to the movies. Your message may also be published on the FESA website. Email your message to thankyouses@fesa.wa.gov.au
Giant thank you cards will also be available for the public to sign, which will be presented to local SES units. One of these giant cards will be available to sign at The Bell Tower on Wednesday 10 November between 7am and 10am. Other giant thank you cards will be made available at local shopping centres throughout country areas.
Wear Orange
Add a bit of colour to your outfit and wear orange, like our SES volunteers, on Wear Orange Wednesday 10 November 2010. Put on an orange t-shirt, hat, tie, scarf or anything you can think of. Have some fun and hold a best ‘orange’ dressed contest.
Celebrate our SES volunteers
Hold an orange themed morning tea at your work or in your local community. Bake an orange cake or orange and poppy seed muffins. Get creative and come up with your own orange themed food.
SES abseiling demonstration
Check out SES volunteers in action as they abseil down Perth’s iconic Bell Tower on 10 November from 7am. Local celebrities will also try their hand at abseiling. Come along and see if they can match the skills of our volunteers.
Become a volunteer
National SES Week is also a great time for people to come forward and get involved in emergency service volunteering. Anyone interested in becoming an SES volunteer and learning new skills should call FESA’s Volunteer Recruitment Information Line on 1800 628 141.
SES Awards
The 2010 SES Awards will be held on Saturday 13 November at Burswood Entertainment Complex. Awards will be presented to volunteers who have made an outstanding contribution to the service and community.
SES Volunteers in action at recent Metro Challenge 2010 in East Perth
