Published on Wednesday, 31 July 2019 at 9:13:05 AM
Picture Caption: DFES Commissioner Darren Klemm AFSM, Tom Wilson Deputy Unit Manager, Member for the Agricultural Region Darren West MLC, Minister for Emergency Services Hon Francis Logan MLA, Member for the Agricultural Region Laurie Graham MLC and Councillor Bob Hall at the opening event.
State Emergency Services (SES) volunteers have a new home in Geraldton after the brand new state-of-the-art SES building was officially opened.
The new modern facility featuring an administrative building, shed, garage and training tower was officially opened by Minister for Emergency Services Hon Francis Logan MLA on Saturday.
City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said the building was very much needed for the local group.
“We have more than 35 Geraldton-Greenough SES volunteers who all work tirelessly for our community,” he said.
“The group has been forced to relocate more than six times so it’s only fitting they have suitable and permanent headquarters.
“Our SES volunteers provide such a crucial service not only to Geraldton, but also to the state and we thank them for their continuous efforts.”
SES volunteers provide services to the community which include responding to natural disasters such as major flooding, fires and severe storms events.
Their service also extends to mass casualty events, emergency repairs to buildings, restoration of essential services and transportation of cargo and passengers.
Emergency Services Minister Hon Francis Logan MLA said the SES play an essential role in the WA community.
"This new $1.8 million state-of-the-art SES facility will improve response times, act as a back-up incident control centre when necessary and encourage closer collaboration between emergency services,” he said.
"This modern headquarters is centrally located, purpose-built and equipped with the very latest in communication technology."
The central location of the building near major road arteries will enable quick response times in during emergencies and they will also be able to provide an additional layer of assistance in the event of an aircraft incident at the airport.
Construction of the $1.8 million facility, was 100% funded by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, and construction was undertaken by local contractor Geraldton Building Services and Cabinets.
The City of Greater Geraldton provided the land to DFES for the project and also managed the design and construction.
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