Well Spring has finally sprung. ‘Not a moment too soon’ we hear many of you say…..
But for our SES volunteers of course, Winter is one of the most anticipated times of the year, because it typically bring the type of weather that offers them a real opportunity to put into practice things that they learn, and allows them to test out storm response techniques and processes in a real life, real time environment. It is, after all, the core of what SES volunteers do, and it is what we all train for week after week.
Winter 2021 certainly made an impact on the residents of Perth, with plummeting temperatures and flash flooding the likes of which we have not seen since the infamous 2010 hail storm. To help translate what this actually meant to our unit and to our volunteers, consider the below:
Between 1st June and 31st August 2021:
- We received 212 RFA’s (Request For Assistance)
- Responding to those RFA’s took approximately 1024 hours of our members time (volunteer hours
In addition to the above, it should also be noted that over the course of Winter 2021, our members also gave approximately 1300 volunteer hours to normal weekly training.
SES volunteers do not typically put on the orange overalls to seek praise. They put them on to try to make a difference.
One unit, approximate 55 active members, donating over 2300 volunteers hours to the local community over a 3 month period.
Now that’s something to be proud about.