THEY are the angels in orange, the State Emergency Service, and they are there in times of natural disaster and need – and last week attending to a different kind of rescue.
No day is the same for the members of the service when they answer the call to help the community and assist those in need.
The Ipswich Unit SES members assisted a cow that had made a “miscowculation” when heading down to the Brisbane River for a drink.
Stuck in the mud, the team of volunteers came to the rescue to help get her “mooving” again, with the service saying they hoped it would be the last time to see the cow in an “impossibull” situation.
The SES relies on about 5000 volunteers each year to support the community before, during, and after emergencies.
The Ipswich SES Unit consists of more than 220 volunteers, and last year was declared Regional SES Unit/Group of the Year at the annual SES South Eastern Region Awards.
The Ipswich SES also received two new all-terrain vehicles including trailers last year to help volunteers to help support residents in times of need.
At the time, Ipswich City Council Environment and Sustainability Committee Chairperson Jim Madden said the funding and vehicle boost was a win for the Ipswich City SES unit, and the Ipswich community as a whole.
“Ipswich is experienced at handling our fair share of extreme weather, from exceptionally hot days in summer to the chilly depths of winter, along with increasingly severe disasters like floods and bushfires,” Cr Madden said.
“SES volunteers cover thousands of kilometres to reach our community where and when they’re needed, so ensuring vehicles and equipment are fit for purpose is vital.
“Whether responding to disasters, conducting missing person searches, or supporting local community events, there are more than 5000 Queensland SES volunteers state-wide that proudly keep our communities safe, with the best of the best found right here in Ipswich.”
Ipswich is one of 76 Queensland State Emergency Service units sharing in more than $3.7 million in funding for vehicle, equipment, and facility upgrades through the State Government’s SES Support Grant Program.
The new trailers support SES volunteers when they are deployed to rural areas, in large groups, or for operations that are likely to be protracted such as multi-day land or water searches.
The previous trailer was more than 17 years old and had been well utilised.
To find out more about volunteering, visit ses.qld.gov.au/join-us.
