Safety drives decisions at VICSES, and as such, our volunteers must be trained in providing a safe and healthy workplace for themselves, their fellow volunteers, and their community before commencing in their roles.
What to expect
To volunteer for VICSES, applicants first go through a selection and screening process to ensure they understand the role and can meet the time commitments required for training and performing volunteer duties.
Training
Upon your successful application to become a volunteer with VICSES you will receive nationally recognised and competency-based training and support to ensure you are skilled and capable to perform your role.
This begins with fundamentals training which is typically spread over six sessions at your allocated unit (generally Mondays or Tuesdays). This training provides essential safety skills, rescue organisation and planning knowledge, understanding of communications equipment, and more, and must be completed prior to attending any requests for assistance or using equipment.
Minimum Physical Fitness for Role
VICSES, in partnership with SES agencies from across Australia, have developed a nationally agreed approach to understand the minimum level of physical fitness that members need to have to safely undertake the operational activities that they perform.
The Minimum Physical Fitness for Role Program requires volunteers who undertake operational roles that are active in the field to undergo physical fitness assessments, to ensure that they meet the minimum physical fitness requirements of the role to safely undertake specified operational tasks.
The program is designed specifically for our VICSES response capabilities, and closely simulates our operating environment.
Volunteers are required to repeat their minimum fitness assessments at least once every two years.
Minimum fitness assessments include:
- Carrying equipment
- Walking wearing a backpack and navigating simple obstacles
- Climbing and lifting a ladder
- Lifting and moving equipment
Please note: These assessments only apply to members who wish to participate in roles that require you to be active in operational roles in the field. They do not apply to many support roles, including community engagement and unit management.
For more advanced operational roles with greater physical demands, there are additional fitness assessments that you will need to undertake as part of your ongoing training and development within VICSES. This includes:
- Dragging a tree branch
- Using a rope to haul an object
- Holding a rescue tool (chainsaw or road crash rescue tool)
- Swimming, self-rescue from water, and rescue of a casualty from water wearing personal flotation device
It is important to understand that the training and operational work undertaken by VICSES volunteers can be physically demanding, and at times needs to be done in difficult conditions. You will need to meet the minimum physical fitness requirements for most field-based operational roles before you can commence your training, including responding to storms, rescue boat operations, search and rescue and road crash rescue.
You can view the advised fitness level and requirements for various roles on our volunteers opportunities page below:
Specialist learning pathways
Learning pathways for further development are also available for you once you have completed your initial training. You can nominate for specialist roles that might be available in your unit such as Road Crash Rescue, boating, community engagement, urban search and rescue, and more.
These specialist courses are completed through a mix of online and face to face training at a pace and time that best suits you, and are generally held over the weekends to accommodate our volunteers as best as possible. Depending on the specialist role you choose, it may take a number of sessions over a number of months to be fully qualified to undertake that role.
Some roles however, including finance, and social media, do not require specialist training, allowing you to leverage the skills and expertise you already have. Check out the different roles available when volunteering at VICSES.
You and your family will also have access to a broad range of physical and mental health and wellbeing programs. These include health checks, vaccinations, healthy eating initiatives, mental health support and education, fitness programs, workers' compensation, supportive return to work arrangements and peer support.
We welcome your interest in becoming a volunteer with VICSES. To register your interest, complete the online enquiry form today.
