Volunteers and staff from the South Australian State Emergency Service (SES), SA Country Fire Service (CFS) and Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS) have returned home following interstate deployments.
The deployments were prompted by extreme weather events, including flash flooding in North Queensland, Cyclone Zelia in Western Australia and bushfires in Victoria and Tasmania.
The latest to return home was an 11 member SES deployment to WA and a CFS volunteer who travelled to Tasmania, who all returned to Adelaide at the weekend.
Three deployments were sent to flood-ravaged Queensland, assisting with emergency response and recovery efforts in Townsville, Ingham and other parts of the state.
These five-day rotations comprised around 70 frontline personnel from the SES (47 members), CFS (10 members) and MFS (10 members), reinforcing South Australia’s commitment across our emergency services to support interstate agencies.
SES crews also helped with Victorian staging areas for fires in and around Horsham and Halls Gap, supported by CFS brigades in the state’s South East and Department for Environment and Water specialist firefighters.
Metro South SES Unit volunteer Nikki Burns said being deployed to Ingham in North Queensland made her realise the importance of the weekly training volunteers undertake.
"I have volunteered with the SES for seven years and this was my first deployment," she said.
"To see the level of destruction firsthand was quite confronting.
"Communities come together and support each other when disaster strikes, but because the entire community was impacted, they didn’t have the capacity to help each other, so they were extremely appreciative of our assistance."
MFS Chief Officer Jeff Swann said the "dedication, compassion and selflessness" of the MFS staff who volunteered to help their interstate colleagues should be commended.
"It is privilege that South Australia's emergency services can unite to help other states in their time of need," he said.
SES Chief Officer Chris Beattie was equally as proud of his volunteers, who left behind families, work and other commitments to support their fellow Australians in crisis.
"I personally thank all SASES personnel who deployed for their commitment and dedication and also the efforts of those who have stepped up to maintain our day-to-day operations at home during this busy period," he said.
CFS Chief Officer Brett Loughlin agreed: "South Australian CFS volunteers should be incredibly proud of their dedicated service, providing crucial assistance to communities in need in both Tasmania and Queensland."
The deployments follow the incredible efforts of CFS volunteers to contain the Wilmington fire, in the Flinders Ranges earlier this month, which burned around 5400ha in steep, hard-to-reach areas amid hot and dry conditions.
Local brigades were supported by CFS volunteers from across the state, along with more than 40 SES members who were deployed over a two-week period to assist crews on the ground and support and protect the Wilmington community.
