A trio of Western Australian State Emergency Service (SES) units has received keys to new General Rescue Utilities (GRU), as part of the McGowan Government's $140 million investment in frontline emergency services vehicles.
In a WA first, the three vehicles have been branded with the orange and white battenburg markings that are synonymous with Australia's SES.
Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson officially presented the new vehicles to the Bassendean, Cockburn and Serpentine-Jarrahdale SES units today.
Fittingly, the handover coincides with 'Wear Orange Wednesday', an annual event that celebrates the dedicated SES volunteers who serve their community all year round.
Led by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, the contemporary livery design was completed with the support and consultation of SES units across the State.
The project, which will be applied to all GRUs in the coming years, aims to enhance public perception and recognition of emergency services vehicles.
Specially designed to meet the modern needs of SES units, each vehicle is worth about $132,000.
Over the past 12 months, 2,100 SES volunteers have dedicated more than 23,700 hours responding to emergencies or calls for help from the community throughout WA.
As stated by Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson:
"The McGowan Government is committed to ensuring our frontline emergency services responders, many of whom are volunteers, have access to the best equipment to ensure they can keep the WA community safe.
"All Western Australians should feel safer knowing our emergency services volunteers are being equipped with the latest appliances to keep communities protected from storms, floods or fires.
"The orange and white battenburg design of the new livery really stands out and will help the public recognise when the SES is out on a job.
"I look forward to seeing more of these specially branded GRUs in action as they continue to be rolled out across WA and play a vital role in protecting all Western Australians."
