SAES crews feed fire response teams across Western Australia
BY KIRRALEE NICOLLE
As several fires destroyed bushland and threatened homes in Western Australia over the Christmas/New Year period, The Salvation Army Emergency Services (SAES) were on the ground catering to fire response teams.
The fires occurred in Dongara, Cowalla and The Lakes. The Lakes bushfire destroyed over 700 hectares of bush and one home. In four days, the WA SAES team supplied 1875 meals to firefighters.
The Country Women’s Association also assisted SAES teams with catering.
WA SAES Response Coordinator Benjamin Day said that his teams had been providing emergency catering during fires and other incidents in the state for over 25 years, but with a few new faces on the team, including a new head chef, many staff and volunteers had hit the ground running. The funding for these new roles had come from the WA Department of Fire and Emergency Services.
“Certainly, for a six-month period of the year, we’re really quite busy,” Benjamin said. “So, we’re quite grateful for that support that we have now from the government to ensure we can [continue to] help out.”
Three happy customers at the Salvation Army Emergency Services catering truck.
Benjamin said their teams were made up of great volunteers, staff and community groups who pitched in to help when called on. He said one couple who volunteers with SAES brought their caravan to the Dongara fire to ensure they could stay for the duration of the catering.
“We’ve got our volunteers all chipping in in various different ways,” he said. “It’s not just emergency response; it’s all the behind-the-scenes stuff that people don’t see that happens on a daily basis that’s really vital to ensure that we can have that really professional response.”
The SAES team set-up at the Cowalla fire.
SAES National Program Manager Bindy Lupis said she hoped people would be inspired to get involved as a volunteer.
“The high-risk weather season is far from over, and we couldn’t do what we do without volunteers,” she said.
If you would like to volunteer with Salvation Army Emergency Services, see here:
Click through the slideshow below for more photos of the bushfire response in Western Australia:
