Malvern SES - Join Us!

Who should I call in a life-threatening emergency?

Always call 000 ("triple zero") in any life-threatening emergency situation.

Are SES members paid?

All ~5000 SES volunteers are exactly that - people who volunteer their time to help their community and, therefore, they are not paid.
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The Victoria SES has approximately 150 paid staff who work at our various headquarters around the state.

Can anybody become a SES volunteer?

Yes! There are roles for people with all range of skills, ages (18 and above) and backgrounds. Most people choose to become "operational" (out on the trucks) but we also recruit support staff such as community engagement.

We provide a comprehensive training program to all new members which assumes you have none of the skills required but accommodates you if you already do.

How often do you recruit?

We run a recruitment course at Malvern approximately every 6 - 12 months but this can vary depending on our numbers.

Once you are registered (www.ses.vic.gov.au/join-us/volunteer) then we will let you know via email when we plan on running information sessions and/or recruitment drives.

Do I need to live in the Malvern area to become a member?

Yes you do. In case we are called out, you must live close enough to our local headquarters to respond within the time allotted. This means you need to live within our response boundaries.

If you live outside of our boundaries, we would direct you to the most appropriate neighboring unit.

Are volunteers expected to leave their workplace at a moment's notice if called out?

No. We are all volunteers and so are not expected to leave our workplace during work hours. After work hours, however, we are expected to respond if we are on call. At Malvern, you will be scheduled to be on call for one week out of every four.
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If you are available from time-to-time during work hours, that would be helpful.

What are the training expectations?

We train every Monday night except for when we take a break over the Christmas holiday period.

Members are expected to attend 60% of these training nights in order to remain operational.

In addition to this, there are other training courses for more advanced skills (chainsaw, working at heights, etc) which are usually held on weekends.