It's SES Week!
SES Week runs from August 24 to 31 and brings Queenslanders together to celebrate the outstanding SES volunteers for their passion, hard work and commitment to serving the community.
The official launch event occurred in Toowoomba at the SES South West Region Headquarters with specialist demonstrations and a regional award ceremony.
The special family-friendly event included a Vertical Rescue Demonstration from the Confined Space Training Facility, drone demonstrations plus a range of SES fleet and equipment on display, including flood boat, ATV, operational vehicles, and Mobile Operations Centre.
SES volunteers respond to a range of disasters and emergencies including floods, storms, searches, road crash rescues and more, with their outstanding efforts honoured at awards ceremonies across the state.
Each of the seven regions held a regional award ceremony across the weekend to acknowledge their high achievers.
SES Week specific awards were presented in the regions under the following categories: Regional Young Member of the Year; Regional Member of the Year; Regional Unit or Group of the Year; Regional Operational Response of the Year; Regional Trainer of the Year and SES Week Certificates.
The winners of the select Regional Awards will travel to Brisbane for the SES Week State Awards Ceremony to take place on August 31.
Chief Officer of the SES, Mr Mark Armstrong, said that SES volunteers, supported by their family, friends and employers, were critical to response in disaster prone communities such as Queensland.
'I have the privilege of visiting SES groups around the state and see the effort our members are putting in to prepare for emergencies, not just those over the severe weather season, but year-round.
'Everyone in the community has a role to prepare for and respond to disasters and other emergencies, but our SES volunteers put in the extra hours to prepare for and support their communities,' he said.
In the previous financial year, SES volunteers conducted more than 136,000 hours in operational tasking and over 333,000 hours in training, administration, public education, recruitment, fundraising and equipment maintenance.
SES volunteers are integral to the broader government response in times of substantial community need, covering prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery (PPRR). Beyond emergency response, SES volunteers provide community education and support for various events, such as local festivals, sports events, and agricultural shows.
