Exercise Bright Spark – Metro SES Units July 2024
22/07/2024
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The SES VAC met on Saturday 27 April 2024 to discuss initiatives that the Committee will progress on behalf of SES members. Vacancy
The Committee has a current vacancy so if this is something you would be interested in, please contact the Committee Secretariat at vacsecretariat@dfes.wa.gov.au to find out more.
A Thriving SES Unit
The Committee discussed the identifiers of a thriving Unit. This included:
Fuel Card
The Committee has agreed to review the fuel card initiative to support the possibility of an amount increase and propose options for future improvements in how the fuel card is dispersed and used by SES Units.
If you would like to comment on the fuel card initiative, please get in touch with your nearest Committee member. Details of members can be found on the SES Volunteer Advisory Committee page on the Volunteer Hub.
Next VAC meeting
The SES VAC will meet again in August 2024.
Why is there a Volunteer Association for SES in WA?
To represent the views and interests of SES Volunteers in WA to all levels of Government, DFES, non-government and other agencies on matters affecting SES volunteers and how they respond to their communities.
Who manages the SESVA?
SES volunteers who are the elected committee members, as the Management Committee of the Association, have the power to manage the affairs of the Association, with the exception of the day-to-day matters which are managed by the Executive Council.
The general management of the affairs of the Association is vested in the Management Committee. The SESVA responds to each SES Unit through the Regional Representative and the Unit Manager. Regional Representatives are the SESVA’s conduit with member SES units. The role includes providing information, help and guidance from an SESVA perspective.
If you have not previously held a position on a management committee, we believe you will find the experience rewarding, and maybe at times challenging.
To find out more about the SES Volunteers Association of Western Australia Incorporated go the “About us” section on this website
SES Volunteers Association of Western Australia Incorporated AGM Agenda items should be submitted by 9:00 am Thursday 1st August 2024
to the SESVA Secretary Allen Gale ESM sesva.secretary@ses-wa.asn.au
Legislation Working Group – the Position Paper has been distributed on a limited basis. Printed copies of the Position Paper will be distributed after the Working Group meets with the Minister and Commissioner in July to provide a briefing and answer questions. A wider distribution of the Position Paper will be undertaken following the meetings.
NSESA Raffle (WA & TAS) – the raffle is going well in WA. The third raffle commenced 3 June and will be drawn 30th August. The result of the second raffle draw was published on the NSESVA website and in the 8th June Weekend Australian newspaper.
SES 65th Anniversary 1959-2024 – a Family Day is to be held Saturday 12th October 2024 from 10am at Jarrahdale Oval with overnight camping available. Units to show their history and lunch will be provided for Active volunteers
Fitness For Role (FFR)– the FFR report from the March online meeting hosted by the SESVA has been discussed with DFES who have agreed to respond to the questions raised during the meeting. The response will be shared with all Units. DFES is also keen to offer five units to do a trial of the FFR program processes.
Combined ATAG/VTAG Forum – DFES and Bushfire Centre of Excellence teams hosted a Volunteer Training Forum 20th April. Presentations were received on training product strategy, RPL/RCC, IIR Process, development of online induction training and training resources on the Volunteer Hub. Ideas and strategies were invited during the forum.
National Training work group – the SESVA will form a work group to investigate the likely success of a policy that WA SES be supported by DFES to gain and maintain national recognised qualifications.
Friends of the SESVA – the SESVA will create a group ‘friends of the SESVA’ that can help or run tasks such as promotion-al events, help with mass mailouts, build promotional material, package merchandise and catalogue historical items.
Belmont Training Manager, Luan Duong, is pictured here handling a Python at a recent training session for SES Volunteers. Luan arranged for an experienced snake handler to attend the unit training night with a range of venomous and non-venomous snakes to serve as ‘training aids’ for a session on dealing with snake bites.
SES volunteers practiced techniques for dealing with a suspected snake bite and learnt about some of the less known facts related to snakes which included dispelling some of the more common myths. You never know when you might need to use these skills and the knowledge in training and operations.
Everyone had an opportunity to handle the Pythons and lizards, as well as get up close to the venomous snakes in the secured cabinets. The enjoyment was very evident, although some of course, chose to look rather than touch but still left the session much wiser and more confident about dealing with snakes in the wild.
Do you have any examples of training with a difference; not as we know it? Send us your suggestions and pics so we can share them with SES volunteers in WA to sesva.office@ses-wa.asn.au
From the SESVA President
Hi, and just a single statement: “Where is the year 2024 going?” Time is moving way too quickly with so much done and much more to achieve on behalf of the community SES Volunteers.
July starts a new financial year and opportunities for DFES and the Government to address the long tolerated SES shortfall in resources. We, as part of an emergency service organisation understand that funding is finite. We do not and have not had an open book to address needs since I first became involved with the SES in the mid 1990s.
DFES continues to invest in the SES, but I still regularly hear from many units that their facilities do not meet their needs, and that vehicles and vessels do not meet their needs, along with other resources that enable delivery of community-based emergency management services.
We will continue to work in collaboration with DFES and the Government to close the resource gaps and jointly assist community-based services to build resilience at the local level.
A great plan is not to have all your eggs in one basket to ensure that when an organisation is needed in many locations simultaneously, that it is nimble and prepared within each community to manage the prevention works, preparation of community members, responding to emergency needs and fulfilling a critical role during recovery actions. Community-led and managed groups that are well resourced are the strength of our unique Western Australia.
We openly acknowledge that there is a distinct difference between metropolitan community needs and those of our regional towns and cities. The expectation is that a single Department with limited human resources cannot be everywhere, hence the need for great local capabilities and capacity.
We move forward in the mode of collaboration. Kind Regards,
Greg Cook
President
Office Street Address: 91 Leake St Belmont 6104
SESVA Postal Address: PO Box 3218 BELMONT WA 6104
sesva.office@ses-wa.asn.au or sesva.secretary@ses-wa.asn.au
Webmaster – sesva.webmaster@ses-wa.asn.au
Website by Ian Hakanson
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SES Volunteers Association of Western Australia Incorporated acknowledges the funding from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services that support the operation of the Association.