The State Emergency Service (SES) relies on volunteers who are dedicated and committed to helping keep the community safe.
The annual SES Awards are one way of recognising the outstanding efforts of volunteers who have excelled in their service and demonstrated a high level of commitment to the SES.
For information on how to make a nomination, go to WAFES Service Awards.
Peter Keillor Award and SES Volunteer of the Year
The Peter Keillor Award is the most prestigious and highest individual honour in the State Emergency Service Awards and is presented to a dedicated volunteer who has made an exemplary contribution to the SES during their time as a volunteer, specifically in the past 12 months.
This Volunteer is also recognised as the SES Volunteer of the Year.
The Peter Keillor Award – Honouring a Legacy of Service
The Peter Keillor Award is the highest individual honour within the Western Australian State Emergency Service Awards and recognises the SES Volunteer of the Year. First presented in 1995, the award is named in honour of Peter Keillor, a former volunteer of the Murray State Emergency Service Unit.
Peter served with the Murray SES for many years and, following an injury sustained during active service in Vietnam, was confined to a wheelchair. Despite these challenges, he demonstrated courage, willpower, dedication and respect for his fellow volunteers.
The award recognises a dedicated SES volunteer who has made an exemplary contribution to the service, particularly during the preceding 12 months.
The Peter Keillor Award is more than an individual achievement. It preserves the memory of a former Murray SES volunteer and celebrates the commitment, resilience and community spirit that are central to the SES volunteer movement in Western Australia. Each recipient continues that legacy through their own outstanding service to the SES and the communities of Western Australia.
| 2026 | Ben Whittle -Albany SES |
| 2025 | Connie Reed - Newman SES |
| 2024 | Danny Jeater - Swan SES |
| 2023 | Leonie Briggs - SES Canine Unit |
| 2022 | Colin Nicholson - Collie SES |
| 2021 | Connie Eikelboom ESM - Armadale SES |
| 2020 | Tania Millar - Mandurah SES |
| 2019 | Simon Davidson - Tom Price SES |
| 2018 | Stephen Faulkner - Wanneroo Joondalup SES |
| 2017 | Robert Palmer - Mundaring SES |
| 2016 | Keith Squibb - Hedland SES |
| 2015 | Jane Campbell - Bayswater SES |
| 2014 | Steve Cable ESM- Kalbarri SES |
| 2013 | Martin Hale - Bayswater SES |
| 2012 | Keith Drayton - Cockburn SES |
| 2011 | Ean 'Eno" Gruszecki - Northshore SES |
| 2010 | Trevor Pattern - Karratha SES |
| 2009 | Sergio - Bottacin Northam SES |
| 2008 | Graham Fixter - Gosnells SES |
| 2007 | Ray Mahony - Bayswater SES |
| 2006 | Gordon Williams - Midwest Gascoyne Region |
| 2005 | Phillip Petersen ESM - Gosnells SES |
| 2004 | Siegmund Belczowsk - MandurahSES |
| 2003 | Bernie O'Brien - Metro HQ |
| 2002 | Monika Nicholson - Collie SES |
| 2001 | Pam Yates - Augusta/Margaret River SES |
| 2000 | Christopher Widmer - Bunbury SES |
| 1999 | Ronald Panting - Albany SES |
| 1998 | Gary Logan - Albany SES |
| 1997 | Christopher Strickland - Mandurah SES |
| 1996 | Graeme Down - Pilbara/Kimberley SES |
| 1995 | Michael Hutchings - Geraldton SES |
Team Achievement Award
The Team Achievement Award is presented to a team or group of SES volunteers who united, have made an exceptional contribution to the community over the past 12 months.
| 2026 | Exmouth & Karratha SES |
| 2025 | Esperance SES |
| 2024 | Gary Littlewood & Maxine Burreli - Bassendean SES |
| 2023 | Southwest/Lower Southwest Vertical Rescue Team |
| 2022 | SWORD SES Logistics |
| 2021 | Communications Support Unit |
| 2020 | Newman - SES |
| 2019 | Peel/Harvey Recruitment Team |
| 2018 | National Disaster Rescue Competition 2017 WA SES Team |
| 2017 | Esperence SES |
| 2016 | Bunbury SES |
| 2015 | Manjimup SES |
| 2014 | Karratha & Roebourne SES Units |
| 2013 | Bayswater SES Bike Team |
| 2012 | Kununurra SES |
| 2011 | Carnarvon SES |
| 2010 | Mandurah SES Training Section |
| 2009 | SES Communication Support Unit |
| 2008 | Goldfields Challenge Working Group Kalgoorlie- Boulder SES |
| 2007 | Karratha Rescue Team |
| 2006 | Eneabba SES |
| 2005 | Newman SES |
| 2004 | Rockingham-Kwinana Tracker Dog Team |
| 2003 | River Ambulance Team Bassendean & Belmont SES |
| 2002 | Road Accident Rescue Team |
SES Young Person of the Award
Volunteers aged 16 to 25 years who have made a valuable contribution to their unit are recognised with the Young Person of the Award.
| 2016 | Zac Hill - Karratha SES |
| 2025 | Joshua Yates - Margaret River SES |
| 2024 | Jack Watson - Tom Price SES |
| 2023 | Anjuli Till - Kalgoorlie-Boulder SES Unit |
| 2022 | Cassidy Kempter - Northshore SES |
| 2021 | James Cotter - Carnarvon SES |
| 2020 | Jeremiah Peters - Mount Barker SES |
| 2019 | Alex Corinaldesi - Cockburn SES |
| 2018 | Sarah Hamilton - Belmont/Victoria Park SES |
| 2017 | Brayden Dilley - Kalamunda SES |
| 2016 | Mary-Therese Shanks - Mandurah SES |
| 2015 | Kirsten Beidatsch - Mount Barker SES |
| 2014 | Meggan Miller - Mandurah SES |
| 2013 | Melusha Robson - Communications Support Unit |
| 2012 | Ben Gardiner - Busselton SES |
| 2011 | Andrew Treen - Melville SES |
| 2010 | Phillip Hale - Bayswater SES |
| 2009 | Keaton Widmer - Bunbury SES |
| 2008 | Ash Smith - Bayswater SES |
| 2007 | Samuel Dinnison - Rockingham/Kwinana SES |
| 2006 | Ian McMahon - Australind SES |
| 2005 | Andrae Lee Moore - Tom Price SES |
| 2004 | Harold Nicholson - Collie SES |
| 2003 | Stuart Romero - Belmont SES |
| 2002 | Michael Wilcox - Nannup SES |
| 2001 | Greg Mulroney - Pingelly SES |
| 2000 | Annabel Harvey - Albany SES |
| 1999 | Geoffrey Gorham - Northam SES |
FESA Outstanding Achievement Medal (FOAM)
The FESA Outstanding Achievement Medal (FOAM) is the highest and most prestigious internal FESA award.
The FOAM recognises outstanding contributions by members of FESA, either over an extended period of time, or in relation to an isolated event, that have helped the organisation to achieve its vision of ‘A Safer Community’.
The FOAM is awarded to FESA members who have performed over and above what would normally be expected of a person in a similar role/situation.
This award has now been superseded by various Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) awards.
| 2008 | Clive Abell (Posthumous) Bassendean SES and past SESVA President |
| 2008 | William (Bill) Mulroney Pingelly SES and past Chair of the SES Consultative Committee |
| 2008 | James Regan (Posthumous) Newman SES |
| 2004 | Ronald Panting Albany SES |