Shining the light on our SES volunteers
The lights at the local NSW State Emergency Service (SES) Canterbury Unit are shining brighter after a $7,451 grant from Canterbury to help purchase three new portable lights, GPS navigation units and some furniture.
“The portable lights come with power packs and are designed to be deployed quickly and efficiently to provide scene lighting at an emergency site. Our unit members are often responding to weather 24 hours/7 days a week. These lightweight units can provide lighting at an emergency site in under one minute, and can provide consistent lighting for up to 12 hours on a single battery charge,” said Brad Collins, Floor Rescue Officer for Canterbury NSW SES.
Aside from purchasing portable lights, the unit also upgraded all five of their GPS/dash cam units for each of their emergency response vehicles to better allow volunteers to respond to emergencies and call outs using the most up to date maps and navigation tools.
The Canterbury SES unit, which operates out of Beverly Hills, is made up of approximately 50 volunteers who receive intensive training to prepare them for any emergency situation throughout the year.
“We conduct training every Tuesday night from around late Jan to early Dec, as well as some weekends and mid-week training as required. In the last 12 months, Canterbury unit has assisted the local community with 203 requests for assistance. Most of our calls usually involve property damage and tree jobs after a storm has passed through the area. Our unit is pretty heavily involved in the flood rescue space as well, responding to over 200 flood rescues in the past five years,” said Brad.
“The SES does an amazing job responding to emergency situations especially with the occasional wild weather that has struck our area in the past few years. Being able to respond to distress calls quickly and efficiently can make a world of difference to people’s lives – Canterbury is proud to sponsor their efforts,” said George Coorey, Chairman of Canterbury League Club.
