Articles in this Month's Edition
Click the Newsletter button above to read these articles in full
From the President
Hi to you in what has been, and will continue to be, a very operational period for the SES. The SES Volunteers have responded to the needs of communities in the MidWest/Gascoyne region caused by Cyclone Seroja. I choose the title of my article to reflect the holistic effort from you all. All means “you, your family, your friends, your unit members, your employers and your own community” and they all need to be thanked for a state-wide team effort.
SES Awards
The 2021 State Emergency Service Awards are now open for nominations and we will close on Monday 17 May 2021.
All the categories, criteria and eligibility remain the same as 2020. Full details on the 2021 SES Awards can be found at the DFES website.
Asbestos Register
The Australian Government has created the National Asbestos Exposure Register (NAER) to record information for members of the community who may have been exposed to asbestos, for their future reference. The NAER is a voluntary, privacy protected register for anyone who believes they may have been exposed to asbestos – whether at work, in the home or in the community.
SESVA Buses
Proving Their Worth. It is great for the SES to note that the eight BHP Funded Buses that the Association negotiated for use in nominated SES Units are being deployed actively within our communities. No doubt you have not been able to miss the strong SES livery, and we do again thank BHP for extending the grant from a five year to ten year funding benefit.
Opening the Emergency Services Legislation Discussion
Many SES Volunteers across our large state have heard in one format or another that there is new legislation to incorporate many of our old Acts, but not including the
Emergency Management Act 2005. The time for us speak collectively or individually as a unit(s) is now. I do stress that when, what’s called “The Green Paper” is released for public comment, we will have missed our opportunity to add value to the SES, its
structure and operation profile
Mental Health during cyclone Seroja
Well a short report on Mental Health during our deployment to Kalbarri by Robert Palmer, Mundaring Unit. My team was part of the 1st SES Metro task force after cyclone Seroja hit Kalbarri. We went in knowing the townspeople would be going through a lot of adjustments both physical and mental, and with this in mind we mentally prepared ourselves to show, empathy and the willingness to do what we must, while keeping a professional distance
Letter to Commissioner DFES
The State Emergency Service Volunteers Association has facilitated two debrief sessions via Zoom meeting technology to enable a better understanding of how SES Unit and their members can contribute to Fire response in Western Australia.
The Association acknowledges that the two principal Level 3 Operations were managed by DBCA and DFES. The notes provided are an amalgamation of feedback from the attending members and represent an unfiltered response to the discussion that was achieved through the facilitation method. The Association openly encouraged positive input to enhance the contribution of and for SES Units and their members.
Emergency Funding to SES Volunteers
The WAESVHAS Committee has received approval from the DFES Commissioner to proceed with immediate grants to SES Volunteers who have had their principal place of residence severely impacted by this event. This grant of $1500 be made to each household of a SES Volunteer which has been impacted, through EFT to their nominated bank account. There shall be only one grant per household.
