Greater Dandenong SES has never received more call-outs for help – and recruits have been never more needed.
Since 2019, requests have more than doubled – from about 300 jobs to 700 a year.
Often its volunteers are helping people in a moment of crisis – such as in need of rescue or blocked by a fallen tree.
In recent days, volunteers arrived in vain at the tragic drowning of Fariba Hussainzada and her seven-year-old son in Dandenong Creek.
Being the region’s water-rescue unit, Dandenong SES were called into action to assist in the Victoria Police response.
“It was not the outcome anyone wanted. Unfortunately I don’t think there was much we could do to save them,” unit controller Daniel Pastean said.
Despite facing some of the most grim and heartbreaking scenarios, Pastean says there are also great rewards in helping with SES.
“It’s been one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life, because you get to see and do things you can’t really do with any other volunteering experience.
“With SES, I’ve travelled the country and the state to help people.
“We are the hope that people need in their time of crisis.”
Sometimes that hour of need might be “small” in scale, such as a burst hot-water service flooding a home.
In any case, it’s good to help people, Pastean says. “It wasn’t a huge task for us but it meant a lot to them.”
In recent years, the workload has got exponentially busier – such as from the spate of fallen trees on powerlines, roads, fences, homes and driveways during storms in recent years.
It’s been an increasing burden for the unit’s members – whose ranks have remained fairly constant at about 60-strong.
“Many hands make light work. We’re always looking for new volunteers,” Pastean said.
His message for new volunteers is that “no skills are required” and that they can accommodate even the busiest of work-life schedules.
“We train everybody up with the skills they need to be a responder at SES.
“We expect our volunteers to put family, education and work-life before SES. We very much work with every person to make the volunteer experience something they can accommodate in their life.”
In 2023, the unit – which collectively speaks more than 30 languages – won a state Multicultural Excellence Award for Emergency Services.
Among its initiatives were translating flood-safety brochures into 12 languages, and installing culturally-appropriate changerooms.
“We pride ourselves on being representative of Greater Dandenong. We’re a very diverse unit and we’re looking to increase our diversity.”
A recruit information session is being held at Greater Dandenong SES at 10/42 Mills Road, Dandenong on Thursday 13 November, 7pm.
The unit trains on Monday nights from 7pm.
For more information on volunteering, go to ses.vic.gov.au/join-us/volunteer
