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Victoria State Emergency Service

The Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) is a volunteer-based civil defence organisation that responds to natural and man-made disasters, and works to ensure the safety of local communities in Victoria, Australia. Each state and territory has its own independent State Emergency Service (SES) that serves as an auxiliary force to support the work of other agencies, such as police and fire brigades. While VICSES is largely responsible for disaster response in Victoria, during large-scale crises it is not uncommon that assistance be sought from other states.

VICSES is the lead agency for responding to floods, storms, landslides, tsunamis, earthquakes, and incidents involving building damage. It also operates the largest network of road rescue units in Australia, and to that end, is one of the largest in the world.

VICSES also provides assistance to other emergency agencies 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 spread across 155 units.

Responsibilities

Control Agency

Support agency

  • Country Fire Authority (CFA)
  • Victoria Police (VICPOL)
  • Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) [Previously known as the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB)]
  • Ambulance Victoria (AV)
  • Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA)

Activities

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:

Regions

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.

  • East Region
  • Unit Support Teams in Bayside, Eastern Metro, East Gippsland, Goulburn Broken, North East, Southern Metro, West Gippsland
  • West Region
  • Unit Support Teams in Barwon, Loddon, Mallee, Mid West, North West Metro, South West, Wimmera

Ranks

Volunteer Insignia

Staff Insignia

Vehicles, Trailers & Other Assets

<u>Cars</u>

Passenger Vehicles

Cars include a mixture of Ford, Holden, Subaru, Kia and Toyota

Mini-Van

Four Wheel Drives

Mixture of Nissan Patrol, Navara, Pathfinder, Ford Rangers, Everest & Toyota Hilux

<u>Light Rescue</u>

Mixture of chassis Ford, Mercedes & Iveco

<u>Medium Rescue</u>

Medium Rescue (2WD)

Equipment Body:

  • 5 large and 3 smaller lockers, with 3 x shadow boards for the storage of tools, 5 x sliding shelves and,
  • 4 x slide and tilt shelves (including LED locker lighting).
  • Light mast (up to 7.5m from ground) with 4 x 100W 24V LED lights (output 10,479 Lm per light).
  • External work lights at the mid point of the body, controlled by the Hazard SLIC panel.
  • Martin power supply system capacity of 8 kVA with 8 x 10A GPO’s.
  • Compressed air system delivering 10 Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM) at 116psi.
  • Bulbar fitted with HID driving lights.
  • No tow bar fitted.

Equipment Capabilities:

  • Up to 1,000kg of tools and equipment
  • Multi purpose truck, i.e. capacity for storm and flood or RCR equipment.

Licence Requirements:

  • Light Rigid Licence

Medium Rescue (4WD)

Equipment Body:

  • 5 large and 3 smaller lockers, with 3 x shadow boards for the storage of tools, 5 x sliding shelves and,
  • 4 x slide and tilt shelves (including LED locker lighting).
  • Light mast (up to 7.5m from ground) with 4 x 24V LED lights.
  • External work lights at the mid point of the body, controlled by the Hazard SLIC panel.
  • Martin power supply system – capacity of 8 kVA with 8 x 10A GPO’s.
  • Compressed air system delivering 10 Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM) at 116psi.
  • Bulbar fitted with 15,000lb, 24v winch & HID driving lights
  • No tow bar fitted.

Equipment Capabilities:

  • Up to 1,000kg of tools and equipment
  • Multi purpose truck, i.e. capacity for RAIR, Storm and Flood equipment.

Licence Requirements:

  • Light Rigid Licence

<u>Heavy Rescue</u>

Heavy Rescue Truck (2WD)

Equipment Body:

  • 7 large and 1 smaller lockers, with 3 x shadow boards for the storage of tools, 5 x sliding shelves and
  • 8 x fixed shelving, 4 x slide and tilt shelves (including locker lighting).
  • Light mast (up to 7.5m from ground) with 4 x 24v LED lights.
  • External work lights at the mid point of the body, controlled by the Hazard SLIC panel.
  • Martin power supply of 8kVA with 8 x 10A GPO.
  • Compressed air system delivering 15 cubic feet per minute (CFM) at 130psi.
  • Bull bar fitted with HID driving lights
  • No tow bar fitted

Equipment Capabilities:

  • Up to 2,000kg of tools and equipment
  • RAIR purpose truck, i.e. capacity RAIR and storm or flood equipment.

Licence Requirements:

  • Medium Rigid Licence

<u>Boats</u>

IRB's

<u>Trailers</u>

Lighting Towers

Genie AL6-6000

  • 8.40 m extended mast height
  • 2.45 m long (drawbar retracted)
  • Kubota D1403 diesel10.7 kW @1500rpm

AllightSykes URBAN MLLED200K-9AC-K

  • 9-meter mast design
  • LED's 4 x 500 watt
  • 200,000 lumens
  • Kubota D905 Diesel Engine
  • 100km/h Wind Speed Rated

Sand Bag Trailer

Storm Trailer

Pump Trailer

Units

Central Region (Including North West Metro and South)

Gippsland Region

Grampians Region

Hume Region

Loddon Mallee Region

Barwon South West Region

Volunteers Association

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.

See also

Other States:

References

External links