Introduction
NSW State Emergency Service (SES) is an emergency and rescue service dedicated to assisting the community. We are a volunteer-based organisation that provides emergency assistance to the people of NSW 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. It is the approximately 9,000 volunteers across the state that make this possible. NSW SES Volunteers come from all walks of life, bringing with them many different skills, interests and backgrounds. They are united by the purpose of supporting their communities in times of need. While our major responsibilities are for flood and storm emergencies, NSW SES also provides the majority of general rescue effort in the rural parts of the state. This includes: Road accident rescue Vertical rescue Bush search and rescue Evidence searches (both metropolitan and rural) and other forms of specialist rescue that may be required due to local threats. Volunteers in a number of isolated communities have been trained as Community First Responders by the Ambulance Service of NSW. The organisations trained rescuers also support the full-time emergency services during major disasters.
