Busy times for Foster SES

THE Foster unit of the State Emergency Service (SES) has had an extremely busy week, with a total of seven call-outs to incidents ranging from a siege to storm damage.

Last Thursday at 6.15 pm SES volunteers were called to assist the police by providing lighting, tarps and generators at Dumbalk North, where a 45-year-old man had been threatening to harm himself with a firearm and confronted police in the front yard of a residence on the Foster-Mirboo North Road. Three members attended for four hours and three members stayed for six hours.

Then during the wild storms that swept through on Saturday afternoon the SES received four calls for trees down across roads. The SES called for assistance from South Gippsland Shire officers, who used their heavy equipment to clear a tree on Gardiners and McGleads Rd. Three SES members responded and were at various sites for two hours each.

Later that same day the SES attended another call for a tree down that had caused building damage, with the tree coming down across a driveway and the branches going through the roof of a shed. At the same residence a large tree had fallen across a driveway, which was also cleared with chainsaws. Four members attended using chainsaws, etc. for two to three hours.

Early on Sunday morning SES volunteers received another call, in which they were asked to attend the scene of a car accident on the South Gippsland Highway at Foster. They used the SES lighting truck to provide lighting at the scene. Two members attended.

This has been a much busier week than average for the volunteers of the Foster SES, but the unit is always ready and willing to provide assistance where required. It is only a small unit and is keen to get some new members. Training is held on Tuesday nights at 7.30pm at the shire depot in Pioneer Street, Foster. All welcome.

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