The Barwon Southwest community has shown thanks to its State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers by wearing orange.
As part of National Volunteer Week from May 20 to 26, the public was encouraged to dress in orange for Wear Orange Wednesday (WOW Day) on May 22 to honour SES volunteers.
VICSES Operations acting chief officer David Baker said he admired the “remarkable and relentless efforts” of volunteers.
“I applaud their significant contributions to Victorians across the state over what has been a particularly busy period,” he said.
“WOW Day is an opportunity for the public to say thank you, to all the volunteers who sacrifice their time away from their family, friends and loved ones, to help the community rain, hail or shine.”
Barwon Southwest volunteers have supported the community with more than 3100 requests for assistance (RFAs) since April last year.
RFAs included close to 1500 downed trees, 700 building damage reports, 270 road rescues and 60 technical rescues.
Volunteers also supported other emergency service providers, like police, fire and ambulance, on more than 250 occasions.
The VICSES South Barwon Unit were called to a light plane crash at Lake Connewarre in October last year, highlighting the skills and dedication of the region’s volunteers.
“Any incident involving a plane crash is one which makes you perk up as a volunteer,” VICSES South Barwon Unit deputy controller Joshua Hutton said.
“They present a dynamic challenge which requires volunteers to implement a range of skills to provide effective, life-saving support.
“This is a fantastic example of how VICSES volunteers are able to efficiently work alongside partner agencies to provide best-practice care and support to those in our community.”
Visit ses.vic.gov.au/volunteer for more information about the SES and how to volunteer.
