SES volunteers praised for service

STATE Emergency Service volunteers have been honoured this week after donating more than 530,000 hours in training and community service over the past year.

With 302 active Gold Coast volunteers, SES Assistant Commissioner Peter Jeffrey said the monetary value of the volunteers was “significant”.

“Those 300, they’re an absolutely essential part of the broader State emergency service,” he said. “Not only do they help the local community but they’re also ready and available to deploy to other parts (of Queensland).”

He said a lot of people forgot SES volunteers were unpaid and were training to help others in challenging times, adding four-fifths of their time was spent training for emergency relief. As part of SES Week, volunteers will receive recognition for their community work, with the SES Awards announced on Sunday.