SES provides practical skills and personal rewards

For the past three years, Tremaine Kingi has been on the frontline of natural disasters in Logan as part of her role in the Jimboomba group of the State Emergency Service (SES), and her dedication and commitment was recently recognised with the prestigious Regional Member of the Year award.

Tremaine, a social worker by day, is drawn to situations where she can offer practical help.

She says the SES experience is rewarding in a range of ways. “I think some people work well in a crisis space, and that certainly seems the case for me,” she says.

“I really wanted to be able to support my community in times of an emergency or natural disaster.”

Tremaine says the skills she has learned are not only useful for the services the SES provides, they are empowering on a personal level, too.

“Particularly being a woman, there is something strengthening about learning all of these practical skills,” she says.

“There are members in our group who may have never stepped foot on a ladder before, who are now up on roofs helping people, providing temporary repairs so that residents can sleep warmly and safely at night. It is very rewarding and it instils a sense of confidence.

“Members are taught to work with chainsaws, generators, and ladders and we learn about reversing trailers and boats, it’s great.”

Logan’s SES Unit is holding its next recruitment induction course in January 2022, and Tremaine encourages people to look into it – but to do their research too.

“Being able to be part of a professional and dedicated unit that really values what we do and our training, and being surrounded by people who really want to be of service in some way, is amazing,” she says.

“The nitty gritty of it is that we are out when it’s raining, when there’s a disaster or emergency – times when often you would rather be home taking care of your own family or property.

“I would encourage people to come along to our group meeting and meet the team, ask questions, and get a feel for what we do, if they are interested.”

Over the past year, the 160-strong Logan SES team has responded to around 1700 requests for help within Logan, and volunteered in excess of 30,000 hours in training, preparation and assisting the community.

Tremaine recalls her first activation during the 2019 bushfires in Boonah and Canungra.

“All of the emergency services were in attendance and SES members were playing a support role for the firies. One of the first jobs I was tasked with was to go with someone to retrieve a fire truck that had broken down close to the fire front,” she says.

“We also took out food and drinks to front line fire fighters, coordinated road closures with police, things like that.”

Members attend training on Wednesday evening to work on the skills and to challenge themselves – but everyone has their limits.

“In the SES you are never asked to do anything you are not comfortable doing,” says Tremaine.

For more information, or if you are interested in signing up for the 17 January intake, call Jim the local controller on 0408715004.