VICSES Murchison Unit ready to respond following recruitment success

03/10/2025, 4:07 PM
Community members have banded together to bring the VICSES Murchison Unit back online, with volunteers undergoing important emergency response training in recent months.

Mere months after low volunteer numbers threatened the future of Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) Murchison Unit, a new cohort of volunteers passed a major milestone this week, bringing the unit back online for the first time in over a year.

Volunteers, staff and senior VICSES leaders gathered in Murchison on Wednesday to celebrate the unit’s successful rebound from the brink of collapse, after a volunteer shortage in 2024 left only a single volunteer registered at the unit in January.

With Murchison often impacted during Goulburn River flooding events, failure to revive the unit’s membership would have seen locals rely on emergency response from VICSES Seymour, Benalla and Euroa units, each more than 30 minutes away.

Following an extensive recruitment campaign earlier this year supported by VICSES Co-Principal partner AAMI, locals showcased their commitment to their community and banded together to undertake vital emergency response training to ensure a sustainable return to service for the local unit.

Initial training culminated in volunteers receiving their crew member level two (CM2) accreditation, allowing them to respond to storm, flood and other emergencies while leaning on neighbouring units for incidents requiring more specialist skillsets.

More than 10 volunteers are now actively registered at VICSES Murchison Unit and are prepared to assist their community during emergencies

The unit is now home to more than 10 active volunteers, each of whom are well prepared to provide vital emergency assistance in their community throughout the spring high-risk weather season and beyond.

A host of specialist training opportunities will also be made available to volunteers going forward, allowing them the chance to develop important chainsaw and 4WD proficiency and other valuable rescue skills.

VICSES Murchison unit volunteers have been kept busy responding to more than 20 requests for assistance (RFAs) in each of the last three financial years, including a particularly active 2022/23 which saw volunteers called to 70 RFAs, more than 20 of which related to flooding and water rescues.

While volunteers are now able to respond to emergencies in the local community, additional operational and non-operational volunteers are still being sought to strengthen the unit’s long-term outlook.

For more information on the variety of roles available within VICSES, visit www.ses.vic.gov.au/join-us/volunteer-opportunities.

Quotes attributable to Cain Trist, VICSES Deputy Chief Officer

“After more than a year offline, it’s fantastic to be able to celebrate the community members who have dedicated their time to ensuring VICSES Murchison Unit has the emergency responders it needs to support Victorians in their time of need.

“Our VICSES Murchison Unit volunteers have shown incredible commitment thus far and as a result are highly trained and well-prepared to support their communities in an emergency situation.

“It’s been an incredible effort by all involved to bring the unit back online, and we look forward to seeing the unit continue to grow in the coming months and years.”