WOW factor in wearing orange for SES vollies

It won’t just be the leaves turning orange next Wednesday with the whole country encouraged to wear the colour in support of the State Emergency Service.

Rocking their most vivid coveralls, the Bunbury SES branch are preparing to celebrate Wear Orange Wednesday during Volunteer Week next week.

“WOW day is about the recognition of SES volunteers around the country,” volunteer Kaylenn Cripps said.

“A lot of the work we do is faceless and we might get a thank you here and there, but most of us do what we do because we want to give back to the community.”

With more than 50 volunteers at the Bunbury SES branch, volunteer Ros McConchie said the needs of volunteers at home come second when they are out on a job.

“We train once a week on a Monday night, most of us have full- time jobs and when there is an emergency we work around the clock, so we are always on the move,” she said.

“It is challenging both physically and psychologically, but we want the community to know we are there to support them.”

Following last week’s wild weather in the South West, Ms McConchie had a strong message for the Bunbury community.

“What we would really like to see is the community taking more responsibility for clearing their own properties so we don’t get the call outs,” she said.

“It’s simple really, clean your gutters and make sure you are taking preventative measures before a storm hits to help make our jobs easier.”