Members

Victoria's 5500 VICSES volunteers come from all walks of life, all backgrounds and all professions. In fact, the main thing VICSES volunteers have in common is a desire to make a contribution within their community. You can expect excitement, challenge and the reward of knowing that your contribution makes a real difference.

Throughout Victoria there are 150 VICSES units. Click here for a map of all VICSES unit locations in Adobe PDF Format.

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VICSES volunteers undertake nationally recognised training and accreditation in operational roles such as storm, flood and road rescue preparation and response. We also assist in coordinating media, community events, training, logistics or management aspects.

You will need a sense of commitment to the community and commitment to your fellow VICSES volunteers. Volunteering is an Australian way of life and whilst we sometimes feel used and abused, we always remember the good times and the thanks we get from the people we help or rescue.

We are lucky to have a wide range of people in our Unit. We have bankers, computer professionals, tradesmen, waitresses, mechanics, spray-painters, welders, carpenters, a nuclear physicist, engineers, surveyors, marketing, sales, students and many others. If you are over the age of 18 and have a desire to assist those within your community, then you could be a potential recruit.

Our members live mostly in the Eltham, Greensborough, Montmorency, Research areas with others from as far away as Hurstbridge and Watsonia. We are currently seeking members who work in the Eltham, Montmorency or Greensborough areas who might be available for response during work hours.

"Special thanks must go to our families and workplaces
for putting up with the 2am callouts, constant training and smelly overalls!"

As volunteers, we receive no payment for any work we do. Any money raised through fund-raising or donations is poured back into the Unit to help buy new equipment and repair old tools. We attend training and emergencies because we all want to put something back into the communities we work and live in.

Our Unit has full membership to the Victoria Emergency Service Association (VESA) who represents the volunteers of the VICSES at Government and State Headquarters levels. VESA has achieved a great deal for the volunteers over the years and we support VESA.

Our Unit Controllers are unpaid like everyone else, but they are legally responsible for all the members and how we respond to calls. We owe them a lot, and thank them for their time whilst taking on all the extra responsibilities. We have had Six Controllers since the Unit started in 1985. Glenn O'Donnell is our current Unit Controller.