27,668 reasons to say thank you this WOW Day

27,668 reasons to say thank you this WOW Day

Published: 22/05/2019

Wednesday 22 May is Wear Orange Wednesday (WOW) Day, a national day of thanks dedicated to the 5000 plus Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) volunteers, who support their local communities during flood, storm, landslide, road rescue, search and rescue, and more.
 
To celebrate the occasion, Melbourne will be ‘flooded’ in orange, with landmarks including; the Melbourne Town Hall, AAMI Park, the MCG, Bolte Bridge, CityLink Sound Tunnel, 101 Collins Street and the Melbourne Star, lit up in orange.  
 
Last year VICSES volunteers responded to 27,668 requests for assistance, that’s 263,259 operational hours!
 
The majority of these calls were in relation to:

  • Storm assistance (19,730)
  • Flood relief (2,570)
  • Road rescue (1,416).

 
VICSES is also the largest road rescue provider in Victoria, with 103 units road rescue certified.
 
Across the board, the VICSES Emerald, Frankston, Sorrento, Narre warren and Whitehorse units were the busiest in this period, all of which responding to over 700 calls for assistance.
 
Held during National Volunteer Week, WOW Day encourages the public to dress in orange as a show of thanks the invaluable contribution VICSES volunteers make to the community.
 
Remember to share a message of thanks to VICSES volunteers this WOW Day by posting on Facebook or Twitter and use the hashtag #ThankyouSES.
 
For information on volunteering with VICSES, visit ses.vic.gov.au/volunteer.


Quotes attributable to Stephen Griffin, VICSES CEO 

“Our volunteers are the backbone of the Victoria State Emergency Service. Their hard work, dedication and selflessness is commendable and it’s what makes VICSES such an incredible organisation.”  
 

 “Wear Orange Wednesday is a fantastic opportunity for the public to say thank you to all VICSES volunteers, who sacrifice their time to help the community rain, hail or shine.”

Quotes attributable to Tim Wiebusch, VICSES Chief Officer – Operations
 
“Wear Orange Wednesday is the one day in the year where collectively Victorians can add their voice to saying thank you to the thousands of volunteers across the state for all of their tireless work”.
 
“I am continually impressed by the dedication and commitment hat VICSES volunteers bring to their
role. They often attend some horrific scenes in their search and rescue roles and they play such a vital role in our communities. Together they make VICSES the organisation it is today”.

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