Volunteers

The GSE team recently visited three volunteer organizations. Volunteerism is a very important part of safety in Australia.

The Costal Patrol’s objective is “Safety of Life at Sea.” The volunteers are trained in marine radio, boating safety, and navigation. The patrol has 1,500 members. The organization has members and boats ready in case their services are needed.

We also visited a group which patrols beaches on weekends. In 2007, The Surf Life Saving Team spent 70,976 voluntary hours patrolling beaches in the central coast. Members are equipped with jet skies, life jackets, float boards, and have access to clubhouses. The team helped over 18,000 swimmers last year.

State Emergency Service can be called upon if a tree falls on your house. The members will come and make the area safe. The station we visited had 125 volunteers and lots of equipment to help out in a storm situation.

The members to these organizations do not receive any compensation of any kind. They do not even receive payment for miles driven in their personal cars. They have fund raising activities and state of the art communication systems. These volunteers do many functions for the country.