What is the SES?

The State Emergency Service (SES) is a volunteer-based emergency response organisation that operates in every Australian state and territory to assist communities during storms, floods, severe weather, road accidents, and search and rescue operations. The SES wears distinctive orange uniforms and is one of the most visible emergency services during natural disasters.

Each state runs its own service: NSW SES, Victoria State Emergency Service, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (SES branch), South Australian SES, Tasmania SES, ACT SES, NT Emergency Service, and Department of Fire and Emergency Services in Western Australia. Together they involve more than 32,000 active volunteers across the country, with a smaller paid staff providing training, logistics, and operational support. Volunteers commit personal time to training, on-call shifts, and direct response work.

The SES is the lead agency for storm and flood response in most states, working alongside the rural fire services (which lead bushfire response) and police (which lead rescue and missing-person operations). SES tasks include putting tarpaulins over storm-damaged roofs, removing fallen trees from roads, sandbagging for floods, evacuating residents from flooded areas, and assisting at major motor vehicle accidents. The service also supports cyclone preparation in northern Australia, where SES units run education programmes and shelter inspections.

To request SES help, residents call 132 500 (the national SES non-emergency number) for storm and flood assistance. Triple Zero (000) should be used when there is an immediate risk to life. Joining the SES as a volunteer involves an application through the relevant state body, a basic fitness test, and completion of an introductory training course. SES volunteers often carry out hundreds of jobs over a few days during major weather events, including the 2022 floods in eastern Australia and the 2019 to 2020 Black Summer fire season.