General News
10 March, 2023
Thriving in the SES family
Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) Woomelang Unit Controller, Lisa Emblem, has been in the job for nearly a year - and it's a family affair. “I was an SES volunteer for five years at Birchip,” said Lisa. "It has been challenging to take...
Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) Woomelang Unit Controller, Lisa Emblem, has been in the job for nearly a year - and it's a family affair.
“I was an SES volunteer for five years at Birchip,” said Lisa.
"It has been challenging to take on the two roles, but I have a lot of support from the Birchip
Controller - my mum, Darlene.”
The whole Emblem family moved to Birchip from Sydney in 2017, all joining the local SES unit.
“I had no prior experience with SES,” said Lisa. “But we didn’t know anyone when we moved here in November 2017, and the SES was our way of getting involved and giving back to the community.”
When the family first joined, there were very few members at the VICSES Birchip Unit.
“We were very outgoing,” Lisa said. “We have strong female leadership at the unit, and our male colleagues are very supportive of that.
“Once Mum became controller, I started doing a lot of the administration.
"At VICSES Birchip Unit, that meant processing new member applications, updating operational requests, assisting with grant applications, and helping members with the training requirements.”
Lisa’s experiences at the unit, and the upskilling she had been undertaking, meant she had a chance to apply for the role of Unit Controller at nearby VICSES Woomelang Unit, when it was first advertised.
“I’ve taken that inclusive culture with me, to reach out to a wide range of people in the community," she said.
“There are no boys’ jobs or girls’ job at the SES. If you have access to the knowledge
and skills you can do anything you want to do.”
As VICSES volunteers perform a diverse set of roles - and the local unit needs a more diverse range of people.
“Our volunteers are drawn from the community, so they should reflect the
community we serve,” said Lisa.
“The approach I have taken is that if you’re not comfortable doing something, you don’t have to.
"We have members who don’t want to attend a road crash rescue, for example, but they
still want to help.
“There are a lot of supporting tasks around managing a rescue event, like controlling traffic, or
getting on the tools.
"When we first arrive at a job we do a 'tool dump' where we set out what we need, and start up the generator that powers the hydraulics.
“Dividing the work this way means that, even if you find a road crash confronting, you can still make a contribution.
“My hope is that we can recruit more members to the unit who might not have ever thought they could be an emergency responder.”
VICSES Woomelang Unit responds to an average of 28 requests for assistance every year, and is currently recruiting new members.