Fire Engines Photos

Thankyou for this Martyn, sounds like a useful addition to the state brigades, is it a country wide outfit?

Added by John Stott on 27 August 2009.

John, the SES is in every state in Australia, but each state has its own Commissioner, there is no National Commissioner overseeing each State organisation. Only a few are accredited for motor vehicle rescue, the majority respond to natural disasters.

Added by Martyn Schafer on 28 August 2009.

Thanks Martyn, I just wish the UK had such dedicated volunteer outfits.

Added by John Stott on 28 August 2009.

John, there is no need for such volunteer organisations in the UK. The UK is a much smaller country and not as prone to major natural disasters as Australia is, as such the professional emergency services are usually adequate to cope with such occurrences.

Added by Scots_Firey on 11 September 2009.

Actually John there are quite a few very dedicated volunteer emergency services in the U.K. Many of your mountain rescue groups who conduct search and rescue of people missing in the mountain ranges of Wales and Scotland are volunteers. As well as one of your most famous and perhaps not well known groups, the International Rescue Corps. These people not only carry out rescue within the U.K. but also travel the world assisting other countries in time of need.

Added by Martyn Schafer on 04 October 2009.

Lads, I meant fire and rescue, we have lost the reserve fleet of Bedfords, brigades have next to no reserve fleets. Basically, my point is the UK has no organised civil defence, that ended in 1968 with the demise of the AFS. Buncefield was a fire, if, and when, there is a major disaster in the UK, either terrorist or natural we will struggle. The point of a volunteer service is to complement, not replace. Call it an old fashioned view, but such services will be needed one day to complement full time services, not compete. But as I have said before on this site, what do my generation know??

Added by John Stott on 05 October 2009.

John, you know far more than most people and talk a lot of sense .

Added by John Johnstone on 05 October 2009.

Hi guys bit of an old post but in Victoria the SES does not act as a complement volunteer organization to career services. VicSES as we are known, can be said to be the main agency in Victoria for rescue with, to put it in perspective, the Metro Fire Brigade (full time career staff) have about 5 rescue brigades that cover around 1000km sq which the VicSES co respond where required, and the rest of victoria 22 8000km sq are covered by Country Fire Authority (Some career staff but mostly volunteers) with 18, give or take, rescue brigades, and the VicSES (all volunteers) with 101 fully accredited rescue brigades and 49 brigades accredited for general and disaster rescue that operate in both MFB and CFA areas (co respond with Metro Firies). Also due to historical naming CFA areas are not just isolated towns they are densely populated suburbs only 20-30 mins from the Melbourne CBD. On top of this all VicSES units also perform SAR, USAR, lighting and support for police at crime scenes, are the combating agency for storm, flood, earthquake, tsunami and building damage incidents (ie car into building)and more.


Added by Nick on 28 June 2010.

Not sure about MFB covering 1000 Sq Km they only cover the inner metropolitan area of Melbourne however they have on occasion been turned out in support of CFA during major bushfire events . CFA cover most of the rest of the state and some outer suburban areas .Department of Sustainability and Envirionment (DSE) cover forest areas but work with CFA in the event of a major fire . MFB and CFA units may work together at fires in some interface boundary areas in the metro area .the SES are a completly self contained self governing entity controlled by the police radio network and set up in units not brigades. MFB and CFA run road rescue units as part of a brigade and along with SES are allocated base areas but may work in conjunction with each other at incidents to complicate matters even further there are air force and army and naval brigades as well as industrial brigades who in most cases will if available work with CFA. Hope this does not confuse too much

Added by Jim on 16 November 2010.

This unit belongs to the Hawkesbury Shire SES Unit

Added by Kevin Thrupp on 01 January 2014.

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