Flag | |
Agency overview | |
---|---|
Formed | 1975 |
Preceding agency |
|
Jurisdiction | Victoria |
Headquarters | 168 Sturt Street, Southbank, Victoria, Australia |
Employees | Paid and Voluntary Volunteers 5,000 Staff 200 |
Agency executives |
|
Website | ses |
Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) is a volunteer-based organisation responding to natural disasters and working to ensure the safety of communities around Victoria, Australia. Each State and territory of Australia has its own independent State Emergency Service (SES), and VICSES is only one of these services spread across Australia. At times of great need or catastrophic disaster, it is common that assistance be sought from other states.
VICSES is the lead agency when responding to floods, storms, landslides; tsunami, earthquakes, and incidents involving building damage, as well as operating the largest network of road rescue units in Australia and one of the largest in the world.
VICSES also provides assistance to other emergency services such as Victoria Police, Ambulance Victoria, The Country Fire Authority (CFA), Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) and to municipal councils in support of their emergency management plans.
There are more than 5,000 volunteers and 220 employees [1] spread across 155 units. [2]
In addition to its control agency functions, VICSES has a shared responsibility for rescues with the CFA and FRV.
VICSES along with other emergency services in Victoria, provide specialist response functions including:
VICSES is also called upon to assist other agencies with unique tasks, some include:
VICSES is broken into 2 regions that cover the state of Victoria. The SES Units are supported by Unit Support Teams (UST) with career personnel.
Section Leader | Deputy Controller | Unit Controller |
---|---|---|
Operations Officer | Operations Manager | Assistant Chief Officer | Deputy Chief Officer | Chief Officer |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cars include a mixture of Ford, Holden, Subaru, Kia and Toyota
Mini-Van
Mixture of Nissan Patrol, Navara, Pathfinder, Ford Rangers, Everest & Toyota Hilux
Mixture of chassis Ford, Mercedes & Iveco
Chssis | Hino 300 Series, 921 Crew Cab |
GVM | 8.5t |
Engine | 5.1L Turbocharged Diesel |
Transmission | 6 Speed Automatic |
Seating | 6 Seats |
Drive | 4x2 rear wheel, 100L fuel tank capacity |
Safety | Dual SRS Airbags, ABS Brakes with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD). |
Equipment Body:
Equipment Capabilities:
Licence Requirements:
Chassis | Isuzu NPS 75/155 4WD Crew Cab |
GVM | 7.5t |
Engine | 5.0L Diesel Turbocharged |
Transmission | 5 speed Automated Manual |
Seating | 7 Seats |
Drive | Electric control part time 4WD with dual range transfer case, limited slip rear differential, 140 Litre fuel tank capacity |
Safety | Incl. Driver and passenger air bags, ABS braking |
Equipment Body:
Equipment Capabilities:
Licence Requirements:
Chassis | Hino 500, FD 1124 Crew Cab |
GVM | 11t |
Engine | 6.4L Diesel Turbocharged |
Transmission | Automatic |
Seating | 7 Seats |
Drive | Rear wheel, 200L fuel tank capacity |
Safety | ABS Brakes with ASR, electric and heated mirrors and drivers SRS airbag |
Equipment Body:
Equipment Capabilities:
Licence Requirements:
IRB's
Genie AL6-6000
AllightSykes URBAN MLLED200K-9AC-K
Unit | Location | Other Links | Rescue(s) | General Rescue(s) | Support(s) | Other | Special Skill Set | Notes |
Brimbank | Stadium Dr, Keilor Park VIC 3042 | |||||||
Central East RHQ Unit | ||||||||
Central West RHQ Unit | ||||||||
Chelsea | 13 Ashley Park Drive, Chelsea Heights VIC 3196 | Website | 1 | 2 | 2 – Four-Wheel Drives | 2 – Boats 1 – Lighting Trailer 1 – Pump Trailer 1 – Sand Bag Trailer 1 – General Purpose Trailer | Boat Rescue Land Based Swift Water Rescue Air Observer | Chelsea SES Unit's history can be traced back to 1953 making it one of the longest, continuous serving units assisting the community This unit is Junior Accredited allowing the unit to train children between the ages of 16 – 17 years old |
Craigieburn | 151A Craigieburn Rd, Craigieburn VIC 3064 | |||||||
Emerald | Old Gembrook Rd, Emerald VIC 3782 | |||||||
Essendon | 9 Rutherford St, Aberfeldie VIC 3039 | Boat Rescue Land Based Swift Water Rescue | ||||||
Fawkner | 1161 Sydney Rd, Hadfield VIC 3046 | 2 | 1 - General Rescue Support 2 - Suport 4WD | 1 - Lighting Trailer 1 - Crime Scene Support Trailer 1 - General Purpose Trailer | Land Based Swift Water Rescue Air Observer | Formerly Broadmeadows Unit, name changed on 12 September 2022 due to relocation | ||
Footscray | 95 Sunshine Road, West Footscray VIC 3012 (Entry via Indwe Street gate) | 2 | 2 | 2 Rescue Boats 1 Box Trailer | Boat Rescue | Formed on 8 February 1962 | ||
Frankston | 6 McMannis Way, Seaford VIC 3198 | Website | 3 | 0 | 3 – Four-Wheel Drives | 1 – Mini-bus 2 – Boats | Road Crash Rescue Boat Rescue | This unit is Junior Accredited allowing the unit to train children between the ages of 16 – 17 years old |
Glen Eira | 92 Bignell Rd, Bentleigh East VIC 3165 | 1 | 1 | 2 – Four-Wheel Drives | 1 – Lighting Trailer | Formerly Oakleigh Unit, name changed on 30 June 2014 | ||
Greater Dandenong | 42 Mills Rd, Dandenong VIC 3175 | Formerly Springvale Unit, name changed on 30 June 2014 | ||||||
Hastings | Frankston - Flinders Rd, Hastings VIC 3915 | |||||||
Healesville | 18 Argoon Rd, Healesville VIC 3777 | |||||||
Heidelberg | 446 Waterdale Rd Heidelberg Heights 3081 | Facebook Website | 1- Medium General Rescue (Isuzu) - currently at Ararat 1- Light Rescue (Iveco) | 1- Hilux crew cab 1- Nissan Patrol | 1- Storm Trailer 1 - General Purpose trailer | Search and Rescue Bike Squad x six bikes 1 x Traverse rescue Mule | Formerly Northcote Unit, name changed on 12 Sept 2022 | |
Hobsons Bay | Formerly Altona Unit, name changed on 30 June 2014 | |||||||
Knox | ||||||||
Lilydale | ||||||||
Malvern | ||||||||
Manningham | Formerly Doncaster Unit, name changed on 30 June 2014 | |||||||
Maroondah | Formerly Croydon Unit, name changed on 30 June 2014 | |||||||
Melton | ||||||||
Monash | Formerly Waverley Unit, name changed on 30 June 2014 | |||||||
Moorabbin | ||||||||
Narre Warren | ||||||||
Nillumbik | 58 Susan Street, Eltham, Victoria, 3088 | Website | 1 – RAIR Heavy Rescue 1 – RAIR Rescue Support | 1 | 1 – Four-Wheel Drive Technical Rescue 1 – Four-Wheel Drive Support | 1 x Lighting Trailer | Road Crash Rescue Technical Rescue – Steep Angle Rope Rescue (multi-agency team with CFA) Air Search Observers Land Based Swift Water Rescue Urban Search and Rescue Category 1 | Formerly Eltham Unit, name changed on 30 June 2014 |
Pakenham | ||||||||
Port Phillip | Formerly St Kilda Unit, name changed on 30 June 2014 | |||||||
Sorrento | ||||||||
Sunbury | ||||||||
Upper Yarra | ||||||||
Whitehorse | Formerly Nunawading Unit, name changed on 30 June 2014 | |||||||
Whittlesea | ||||||||
Wyndham | ||||||||
Wyndham West | Was the 150th VICSES Unit Created and became operation on July 14, 2020, with 6 members [3] |
Unit | Location | Other Links | Notes |
Gippsland Regional Support | |||
Bairnsdale | |||
Bendoc | |||
Bruthen | |||
Buchan | |||
Cann River | |||
Erica | |||
Foster | |||
Inverloch | |||
Leongatha | |||
Loch Sport | |||
Maffra | |||
Mallacoota | |||
Moe | |||
Morwell | |||
Orbost | |||
Phillip Island | |||
Rosedale | |||
Sale | |||
San Remo | |||
Stratford | |||
Tambo Valley | Formerly Swifts Creek Unit, name changed on 1 November 2018 | ||
Warragul | |||
Wonthaggi | |||
Yarram |
Unit | Location | Other Links | Notes |
Ararat | |||
Bacchus Marsh | |||
Ballarat | |||
Dimboola | |||
Dunmunkle | Formerly known as Rupanyup Unit, name changed on 30 June 2014 | ||
Edenhope | |||
Goroke | |||
Daylesford | Formerly Hepburn Shire Unit, name changed on 12 Sept 2022 | ||
Horsham | |||
Kaniva | |||
Grampians Regional Support | |||
Nhill | |||
St Arnaud | |||
Stawell | |||
Warracknabeal |
Unit | Location | Other Links | Notes |
Alexandra | |||
Beechworth | |||
Benalla | |||
Bright | |||
Chiltern | |||
Cobram | |||
Corryong | |||
Euroa | |||
Falls Creek | |||
Kilmore | |||
Kinglake | |||
Mansfield | |||
Marysville | |||
Mitta Mitta | |||
Murchison | |||
Myrtleford | |||
Numurkah | |||
Hume Regional Headquarters Unit | |||
Rutherglen | |||
Seymour | |||
Shepparton Search & Rescue Squad (Private) | |||
Tallangatta | |||
Tatura | |||
Wangaratta, mother unit to Yarrawonga | |||
Wodonga | |||
Yackandandah | |||
Yarrawonga - Bird Watching Unit |
Unit | Location | Other Links | Notes |
Bendigo | |||
Birchip | |||
Castlemaine | 1 Scotts AVE, Castlemaine VIC 3450 | ||
Dunolly | |||
Echuca | |||
Echuca-Moama Search & Rescue (Private) | |||
Gisborne | |||
Heathcote | |||
Huntly | |||
Kerang | |||
Kyabram | |||
Marong | |||
Maryborough | |||
Mildura | |||
Murrayville | |||
North West Regional Support | |||
Ouyen | |||
Robinvale | |||
Rochester | |||
Rushworth | |||
Swan Hill | |||
Wedderburn | |||
Woodend | |||
Woomelang | |||
Wycheproof |
Unit | Location | Other Links | Rescue(s) | General Rescue(s) | Support(s) | Other | Special Skill Set | Notes |
Balmoral | ||||||||
Bannockburn | ||||||||
Bellarine | ||||||||
Camperdown | ||||||||
Cobden | ||||||||
Colac | ||||||||
Corio | ||||||||
Dartmoor | ||||||||
Dunkeld | ||||||||
Geelong | ||||||||
Hamilton | 58-60 Shakespeare Street Hamilton | 1 - Heavy Rescue | 2 - Support 4WDs | 1 - Lighting Trailer 1 - Rescue Boat 1 - Storm Trailer 1 - Litter Mule | Road Rescue Rescue Boat Swift Water Rescue - Land Based Urban Search & Rescue - Cat 1 Incident Air Monitoring Divisional Command Point | Founded on December 9, 1969, as the "Hamilton & District Civil Defence & Rescue Squad" | ||
Heywood | ||||||||
Lismore | ||||||||
Lorne | ||||||||
Mortlake | ||||||||
Otway | ||||||||
Port Campbell | ||||||||
Port Fairy | ||||||||
Portland | ||||||||
Barwon South West Regional Support | ||||||||
South Barwon | ||||||||
Terang | ||||||||
Torquay | ||||||||
Warrnambool | ||||||||
Winchelsea | 325 Mousley Rd, Winchelsea VIC 3241 | https://www.facebook.com/Winchses/ | 1 - Medium Rescue | 1 - Support 4WD | 1 - Lighting Trailer | Road Rescue |
Volunteers and Units are represented by the Victoria State Emergency Service Volunteers Association (VICSESVA) which was formed in 1983.
The Association's role is to advocate for VICSES volunteers by raising issues that impact on skills, training, funding, equipment, ethics & safety. VICSESVA is a non-profit association run and managed by VICSES Volunteers.
Other States:
A volunteer fire department (VFD) is a fire department of volunteers who perform fire suppression and other related emergency services for a local jurisdiction. Volunteer and retained (on-call) firefighters are expected to be on call to respond to emergency calls for long periods of time, and are summoned to the fire station when their services are needed. They are also expected to attend other non-emergency duties as well.
The State Emergency Service (SES) is the name used by a number of civil defence organisations in Australia that provide assistance during and after major incidents. Specifically, the service deals with floods, storms and tsunamis, but can also assist in other emergencies, such as vertical rescue and road crash rescues, missing persons searches, and medical evacuations. In other scenarios the SES may provide a support role to other agencies, particularly police and fire. The SES is operational 24 hours a day. The SES is constituted as separate organisations operating in the various Australian states and territories. Eight of the SES organisations co-ordinate through the Australian Council of State and Territory Emergency Services (ACSES).
The Bundesanstalt Technisches Hilfswerk is the federal civil protection organisation of Germany. It is legally part of Bundesministerium des Innern und für Heimat and controlled by the German federal government. 97% of its more than 80 thousand members (2021) are volunteers.
The Country Fire Authority (CFA) is a volunteer fire service responsible for fire suppression, rescues, and response to other accidents and hazards across most of the state Victoria, Australia. CFA comprises over 1,200 brigades organised in 21 districts, and shares responsibility for fire services with Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV), which employs full-time paid firefighters in major urban areas; and Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMV), which manages fire prevention and suppression on Victoria's public lands. CFA operations and equipment are partly funded by the Victorian Government through its Fire Services Levy, and supplemented by individual brigades' fundraising for vehicles and equipment.
The South Australian Country Fire Service is a volunteer based fire service in the Australian state of South Australia. The CFS has responsibility as the Control Agency for firefighting, rescues and hazardous materials and inland waterways in the country regions of South Australia. Its official mission is "To protect life, property and the environment from fire and other emergencies whilst protecting and supporting our personnel and continuously improving."
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) is a government department that is responsible for fire and emergency services in Western Australia. The department came into being in 2012 as a result of the Perth Hills Bush Fire review. DFES is responsible for the management, training and funding of career and volunteer Services including:
Emergency vehicle lighting, also known as simply emergency lighting or emergency lights, is a type of vehicle lighting used to visually announce a vehicle's presence to other road users. A sub-type of emergency vehicle equipment, emergency vehicle lighting is generally used by emergency vehicles and other authorized vehicles in a variety of colors.
The New Zealand Fire Service was New Zealand's main firefighting body from 1 April 1976 until 1 July 2017 – at which point it was dissolved and incorporated into the new Fire and Emergency New Zealand.
The Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB), also known as the Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board, was a fire service in Victoria, Australia. The MFB provided firefighting, rescue, medical and hazardous material incident response services to the metropolitan area of Melbourne. The MFB's headquarters were located at the Eastern Hill Fire Station in East Melbourne.
NSW Ambulance, previously the Ambulance Service of NSW, is an agency of NSW Health and the statutory provider of pre-hospital emergency care and ambulance services in the state of New South Wales, Australia.
Emergency service response codes are predefined systems used by emergency services to describe the priority and response assigned to calls for service. Response codes vary from country to country, jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and even agency to agency, with different methods used to categorize responses to reported events.
The New South Wales State Emergency Service, an agency of the Government of New South Wales, is an emergency and rescue service dedicated to assisting the community in times of natural and man-made disasters. The NSW SES is made up almost entirely of volunteer members, numbering over 10,214 as of July 2021. Members are easily identified by their distinctive orange overalls.
The National Council for Fire & Emergency Services, is the peak body responsible for representing fire, emergency services and land management agencies in the Australasian region. It was formed in 1993 and has 34 full members and 13 affiliate members.
Since 1 July 2008, Ambulance Victoria has been the sole provider of emergency ambulance services in Victoria, having been formed from the merger of the three previous providers of emergency ambulance services: the Metropolitan Ambulance Service (MAS), Rural Ambulance Victoria (RAV), and the Alexandra District Ambulance Service (ADAS).
Fire services in the United Kingdom use a variety of fire appliances, which perform a wide range of general and specialised roles and fit into several distinct categories. Contemporary fire appliances carry a multitude of equipment and firefighting media to deal with different types of emergencies ranging from fires, rescues, vehicle extrication, floods, salvage, casualty and trauma care.
The Isle of Man Civil Defence Corps is one of the five emergency services maintained by the Isle of Man Government, to provide a range of emergency responses on the Isle of Man, an independent Crown dependency located in the Irish Sea between England and Ireland. The Corps operates under the Department of Home Affairs.
The State Emergency Service (SES) in Queensland, Australila is a volunteer-based organisation of the Queensland Government and forms part of the Queensland Police Service (QPS), assisting with disaster management as an emergency services auxiliary.
The 2010–2011 Queensland Flood and Cyclone Citation is a Queensland honour established by the Governor-of-Queensland-in-Council in 2011.
Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) is a fire and rescue service in the state of Victoria, Australia, that provides firefighting, rescue, HAZMAT and Emergency Medical Response services in areas of metropolitan Melbourne and major regional centres throughout Victoria.
The South Australian State Emergency Service is the South Australian branch of the State Emergency Service, partner of the Australian Council of State Emergency Services. The service, founded in 1962, is volunteer based, and prepares and responds to emergencies within the state. It receives on average 10,000 calls for assistance per year. The SASES is a separate entity, independent of other branches, and reports to the South Australian Minister for Emergency Services. The service is funded by a levy imposed on every household in the state, and is currently led by chief officer Chris Beattie with assistance from the South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission (SAFECOM).