SES launches a 'beachon' for storm season - Rouse Hill Courier

The SES is more than storm-ready.

State Emergency Service volunteers, including volunteers in SES Sydney Western Region, are now usng new technology kept, somewhat ironically, in the ‘‘cloud’’, which allows volunteers to track jobs in the field via several devices, such as smart phones or tablets.

This newly-developed operational management system, aptly named ‘Beacon’, was officially launched today at the SES Sydney Western Region Headquarters at Seven Hills.

It cost about $1 million to develop and will be complemented by tablets in all of the SES vehicles.

‘‘The paperwork is the bane of every volunteer ... they joined to assist the community,’’ NSW SES acting commissioner Jim Smith said.

He said quite a lot of the SES volunteers assisted with this project, and that was why it works so well.

Police and Emergency Services Minister Stuart Ayres said: ‘‘It’s a step forward for the SES.

‘‘With it we get more time on task and in the community helping.’’

SES volunteers have been kept busy responding to more than 10,400 storm jobs since the start of the storm season in October, most notably the East Coast Low that ripped through Sydney on October 13.

More recently, the SES Sydney Western Region responded to 902 jobs (from December 3 to 9), including 109 in Blacktown Council where its headquarters is located.

The region encompasses the local government areas of Holroyd, Parramatta, The Hills, Blacktown, Hawkesbury, Penrith and the Blue Mountains.

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