South Australian emergency services get ready for a sizzling summer
BY KIRRALEE NICOLLE
The Salvation Army Emergency Services (SAES) in South Australia recently held their annual seasonal readiness event for staff and volunteers.
The ‘Be at the Ready’ event was held at the SAES depot in Pooraka on 19 September, with a sausage sizzle and discussions about volunteer readiness, response planning, community support, seasonal preparedness and opportunities to serve.
Captains Scott and Natalie Frame (Divisional Commander and Area Officer) attended the event, cooking the sausages and assisting with clean-up.
For the first time, Country Fire Service (CFS) volunteers also attended as well as CFS executives Andy Warner and Chanel Zamogna, who spoke highly of the work of SAES volunteers.
The South Australian SAES Response Coordinator said this event marked a significant moment with the involvement of the TSA Divisional Commander (SA/NT), with Scott demonstrating a deep commitment to the work of the SAES.
The event came as the SAES team were preparing for the upcoming season of increased fire and flood risk. Leaders said the team was in need of more volunteers, with possible scenarios requiring more assistance than was currently available.
Community events, camping out on activations, maintenance and repairs or cleaning tasks are all possible areas of focus for volunteers; however, all volunteers need to be compliant in order to be deployed when necessary.
The Response Coordinator also noted that current Salvation Army staff were very welcome to use their allotted volunteer leave time to assist the SAES. In recent years, the SAES in South Australia have been deployed to a wide variety of activations, including large fires in the southern Fleurieu Peninsula and the Flinders Ranges.
Volunteer compliance involves undertaking an initial interview, followed by identity and criminal history checks, then completing online training modules.
To find out more about volunteering with the SAES and submit an expression of interest, see here.
