The funding will contribute to maintaining facilities, upgrades to priority vehicles and to helping volunteers respond to floods and other emergencies in what has been its busiest year on record.
Devastating storms and floods have ravaged the state, with the impact being felt across the whole service, with more than 46,000 requests for assistance in 2021 — an increase of more than 13,000 requests compared to 2020.
VICSES chief officer Stephen Griffin said its volunteers were its backbone with 5000 members trained and ready to respond to the Victorian community 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
“This is a fantastic outcome for our dedicated volunteers and is a sign of the government commitment to the service and to the vital work of VICSES volunteers,” Mr Griffin said.
“This funding will also support the government’s ongoing work to improve the culture and safety of emergency service volunteer groups and encourage more women to join their local units.”
VICSES is unique in that it provides multiple specialist services, including road crash rescue (RCR) and response to storm, flood, and landslide, in addition to swift water rescue, and support for other emergency services agencies with everything from search and rescue (land, water, steep angle and alpine), crime scene support, fire and ambulance support and more.
The broad scope of the service means there is a responsibility for maintaining highly specialised services, training, vehicles and equipment across the broadest range of legislative responsibilities of any emergency service organisation in the state of Victoria.
This funding boost will significantly aid in the operation of its services.
You can support your local SES team on May 18, which happens to be “Wear Orange Wednesday”.
Local volunteers will, once again, be outside BWS on Arundel St, Benalla tin rattling and showing off its state-of-the-art equipment.
Find out more about Wear Orange Wednesday at www.wowday.com.au
12°C