THE Two Rocks SES is looking for up to nine new members to help run a new emergency services operations centre.
The new members will need to be residents of Two Rocks or Yanchep (reside within 15 minutes of the operations centre), retired or home most of the time and want to volunteer to help the community as well as learn new skills.
Uniforms and no cost training will be provided with three courses, State Emergency Service induction, working in an operations centre and base radio operator.
Two Rocks State Emergency Service local manager Max Ross said the Two Rocks SES had completed an intensive year of member training and rescue equipment acquisition.
From February 5 the Two Rocks SES will have full authorisation from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services to operate as a 24/7 emergency service with members on standby 365 days of the year to support communities with a comprehensive set of skills.
Some of the activities SES members carry out include refilling air tractor water bombers at airfields to support firefighters, operating flood boats and undertaking fast water casualty recovery and transporting fireys by ferrying relief crews to and from firegrounds.
They also survey and shore up collapsed or impacted buildings and dwellings and search for missing persons in bush or urban areas by foot and on bicycles as well as with mounted equine teams and search dogs.
SES members also assist home owners with temporary storm damage repairs, retrieve casualties with vertical rescue teams and assist WA Police with emergency evacuations.
It is also the SES’s responsibility under the Emergency Services Act to be the combat agency for flood, cyclone, tsunami, earthquake, storm and missing persons.
Mr Rosss said the Two Rocks SES 27 trained members take on these active and physical roles but they also need the support of a local operations centre.
“Operation centres direct the field teams based on community need at the time and liaise with other agencies, WAPOL, Alinta Gas, Western Power, St Johns Ambulance, Family Services, Salvation Army, Fire Brigade, City Rangers, Parks & Wildlife, consulting engineers and contractors and others as required,’’ he said.
Usually a team of three or four operate an operations centre.
Extended or complex level 3 disaster operations can span 24 hours or more although that would be unusual for local level 1 or level 2 operations.
If you want to be part of the new Two Rocks Emergency Services Operations Centre adminofficer@tworocksses.com.au
The SES is an equal opportunity organisation and applications are open to all regardless of gender, disability, ethnicity or age.
