Today we celebrate Wear Orange Wednesday (WOW Day).
WOW day is a day of recognition and appreciation towards the dedicated work of State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers across Australia.
The focus of WOW Day is to encourage the community to show their support in a very simple but highly visible gesture by wearing the colour orange, the colour worn by SES volunteers. There are 40,000 SES volunteers across Australia who each year collectively provide around a million hours of their time to help communities in times of natural disasters and emergencies. SES volunteers have a passion for helping people in the worst of weather and at the hardest of times, helping with storm and flood operations and other rescue activities. All SES volunteers devote a considerable amount of time to skills development and training to ensure they are capable to effectively carry out the diverse range of tasks that come with being part of a dynamic and trusted volunteer emergency service.
In Perth, a series of events will be held (today) to recognise the more than 2,000 SES volunteers who dedicate their time to supporting and assisting our community. A media event will be held at Blackwall Reach in Bicton to display the skills and competencies of SES personnel in a simulated emergency search, abseil and flood boat rescue.
Iconic locations across Australia and around the State will be lit up in a brilliant orange, and the SES flag will be flown at the DFES Emergency Services Complex.
Nick Elliott, Local Manager Northshore SES unit said that tonight, the Northshore SES unit will be marking the occasion by holding a BBQ for its volunteers (kindly funded by DFES) followed by an awards presentation and annual unit photograph. “It’s one day of the year that we get to say thanks to our members, so tonight training is definitely off the menu”.
The delivery of fire and emergency services is a collaborative effort, and the SES, along with the all the State’s volunteer emergency services are a vital part of keeping Western Australian communities safe. Show your support by wearing a flash of orange in addition to your usual work attire.
#goSES #WOWday #thanksSES