SES NSW Harden Unit Share Their Manpower

SES NSW Harden Unit deployed two teams from among their numbers to help out the Illawarra and South Coast communities last weekend.

Unit Commander Thomas Hogg, part of the two-person flood rescue team deployed together with a storm team, said one of the best things about these opportunities was the knowledge and experience they brought back home.

“You’re networking with other people among the SES and you get to work with other teams that you’ve never worked with before,” Mr Hogg said.

“The storm team left Harden at 9:30 at night, we had a little more time.”

The number of deployments to help out other communities in a year varies significantly, but Mr Hogg said that there had been four or five opportunities over the past couple of years.

It’s not just storm and water rescue, either, SES volunteers were often called out to help with situations like fires and accidents.

Mr Hogg said the flood rescue team started their deployment in the Southern Highlands.

“We started off in Bowral and were then redeployed to Ulladulla,” he said.

“We were effectively following the storm until we reached Narooma.”

Being adaptable to change was a vital skill according to Mr Hogg.

“We packed up all of our gear and loaded it in the vehicle each morning because we never knew where we would be that night,” Mr Hogg said.

“You’re so much more mobile.”

“I find the Hilltops quite resilient to storm and damage.”

“They help their neighbours and their mates and have a lot of reliance on each other in Harden - and in Young and Boorowa.”

“Everyone keeps up with what’s happening and we’re all on a first-name basis.”

Mr Hogg said it was quite different in communities with larger populations where people didn’t know their neighbours and tended to rely more heavily on SES and other first-responder personnel.

For a small SES unit like Harden, being able to send two teams on deployment was a massive achievement.

If you’ve been thinking about joining the SES or learning a bit more about what they do, check out the Harden unit’s Facebook page and message them for more information on how to volunteer.

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• Emergency Services