Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, we know Darwin and Palmerston volunteers of the Northern
Territory Emergency Service. They've been honored at a fiftieth anniversary
citation ceremony. So more than eighty volunteers, staff and families
attended an event in Palmerston to formally think volunteers for
their service and dedication and highlight the achievements of Northern
(00:20):
Territory Emergency Services. Now joining us in the studio is
NTEST Chief Officer Wayne Snell. Good morning to your Wayne.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Yeah, good morning Katie. Thanks very much having me on.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Yeah, lovely to have you on the show. Now tell
me fifty years. I mean it is a huge milestone
for the service. Remind us of some of the valuable
work that Northern Territory Emergency Services do.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Yeah, look, Katie, it really is valuable.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Fifty years is a fantastic milestone for an organization like ours,
especially one that's driven by our volunteers, and the length
and breadth of the activities that they've done during that
fifty years is just outstanding. So, you know, whether it
be responding to the various cyclones that we've had, the
storms that we've had, often, you know, community gets to
see them cutting up trees, moving debris, rescuing people with
(01:10):
their vertical rescue capability, supporting the other services, supporting the
fire agencies, doing all those sorts of things, as well
as the emergency management role that they have, trying to
coordinate the responses around the place and support the police
with the control of the events that happen in this
beautiful territory of ours.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Yeah, I look, it's such a beautiful place, but gee,
it's rugged, you know, Like, gee, we have some wild
weather and wild things happen. I would imagine that, you know,
working and volunteering for emergency services in the Northern Territory,
it's probably pretty different to other states. But gee, we
you know, like we bad above our average.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
I think we absolutely do. Territories really do step up
when they're needed.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
In this great territory of ours.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
The work that they do is really valuable not only
to the community, but also to all the visitors that.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
We have to this place.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
You know, it is the lifestyle, and it is the
the weather that we have and the beautiful natural surroundings
that we have. But all of those, of course come
with risk, you know, particularly as we approach the wet season.
This year as it gets closer and the work that
the volunteers do, really we couldn't function as a territory.
I don't think without that service.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
I mean, Wayne, fifty years, goodness me, what kind of
work has been done over that period of time. I
would imagine, you know, even when you look at one
particular season, sometimes we have a number of cyclones that
are impacting, you know, whether they have a direct hit
or whether we end up with a weather system. There
(02:36):
has been so much happen over a fifty year period
in the Northern Territory, hasn't.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
They There has, particularly when we look at the roots
of where the Northern Territory Emergency Service came from. You know,
we started out as Air aid wardens and then moved
through civil defense and then moved into a national Emergency
Services type scenario and then the territory and state based establishment.
I think that was actually good thing for the territory
because it became more focused then on what the territory
(03:03):
territory needed, what territorians needed, and our visitors needed. During
that time, the work that we've done, probably the work
hasn't changed greatly. The types of impacts that we see
on human beings and the impact to our economy, impact
to our beautiful natural surroundings that we also try and
support and protect. But what has changed is the way
(03:23):
that we do it. Yea, some of those things have changed.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
You know.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
We've got technology in the field now that people would
have dreamed of fifty years ago, and we've got the
opportunity for people volunteers to undertake roles potentially that we
weren't doing.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Fifty years ago.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
So there's a place for everybody in NTS.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
So the Non Churaich Emergency Service.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
Work welcomes everybody, regardless of their skill set, regardless of
what the history is or their background. We welcome everybody.
There's a role for everybody.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
Tell me a little bit more about those incredible volunteers.
How many do we have?
Speaker 3 (03:52):
We have just one two hundred and fifty volunteers at
the moment. We are in a cycler and upward cycle
at the moment. Try to bring in more volunteers is
where I was certainly offering volunteering the old model of volunteering,
where it was very regimented that sort of stuff.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
We're moving away from that model and moving to.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
A much more flexible model to reflect the territory lifestyle,
to be honest and to give people more of an
opportunity to contribute when they can, where they can, with
what they can. We will always need a group of
people who will be their core volunteer group who are
very highly trained across our range of rescue services, floodstorm operations,
those sorts of things.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
But there are other jobs as well for people.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
For example, at the moment, I'm looking for a protocol officer,
you know, somebody potentially with a former military background, only
needs to give a few hours every.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Month to help us with our events.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
You know, I'm looking for a chaplain at the moment
those sorts of things.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Logistics officers is.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
Another one as well as our fantastic general and rescue volunteers.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
So, as I said, there's a range of jobs for
everybody well, and.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
It sounds like a lot of different kinds of people
can contribute.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
If there are people listening this small that are interested
in maybe volunteering for NTESS, where can they go?
Speaker 3 (05:04):
They can go onto our website, norn Teritory Emergency's website
we've just still hosted at the moment, even though we've
moved out of underneath the police environment. We've moved away
from pfees into our own agency still. Go to that website,
click on the NTES and you will see how to
get in touch with us there. Our phone number is
also in the book. You can look us up online
and give us a call have a bit of a
(05:24):
chat about that. And as I said, we'll take everybody
for everybody who's got something to contribute.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Well, And obviously you celebrated the fifty years with that ceremony.
You know what kind of what happened at that ceremony.
What were some of the stories or some of the
you know, the different things that were discussed.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Yeah, so you know, everybody got a formal citation, or
every volunteer and every staff member who's working this year
gets a formal citation. And part of that formal citation
is a reflection of the type of work that's been
done in the last fifty years on behalf of the
territory government. Some of the things that we talked about
were some of the funny things that happened. You know, really,
non Church Emergency Services is more like a fairly orientated
(06:06):
business than a government department. To be honest with the
way that we do our business, which makes it fun
of course, so you know, there are always funny things whenever.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Human beings are involved.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
We talked about things, mistakes that we made in the field,
funny things that have happened that people have taken photographs of,
you know, and shared with others, but also some of
the some of the fantastic work that people have done,
the rescues that they've undertaken, the feedback we've got from
the community, individual community members, thanking thanking them for their fair,
often bravery, meritorious service, but also for the general work
(06:37):
of just being able to help and knowing that those
wonderful volunteers that we have are.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
Able to help them.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
I just love that, you know, you've got incredible people
like two hundred and fifty volunteers, two hundred and fifty
territories giving up their time for the greater good, for
the Northern Territory. I think that's a wonderful, wonderful thing.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
Absolutely, it is one of the most fulfilling parts of
my job is to actually watch the voluntar and watch
them help their neighbors and then pick up into a
truck and go with a group and go and help
the neighbors in the next town, the next village, and
then occasionally we pick up all of our goods and
shuttles and we move into another state or territory and.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Help them as well.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
So over the last fifty years and Northern Territory has
provided support into major responses right across Australia. And that's
one of the opportunities for volunteers is to be able
to go away and deploy we call it deploy into
another state or territory and support those communities because despite
the fact that we're here for the territory, we are
all Australians, so we do help one another occasionally. Eve
when we even help overseas good stuff.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
Wayne, What does the future look like? What's the next
fifty years look like? Do you think for Northern Territory
emergency Services.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Well, as we know our risks are not going away,
we're getting more compounding, complex and concurrent events. That puts
more pressure on us to make sure a that our
readiness is really good and that we support the community
to get ready. And next week, with the opening of
the higher risk weather season, we're going to give some advice,
quite a bit of advice next week and I might
be able to provide you with some of that and
(08:03):
also the responses. The expectations with the responses that we
have means that a we need to be.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Faster than what we have been in the past and we.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Need to be able to provide that range of services
to all territori ands. So we need to make sure
that there are no pockets of the territory that aren't
supported through our efforts and aren't supported through the recovery process.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Also, well, Wayne.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
Snell, Northern Territory Emergency Services Chief Officer, really appreciate your
time this morning. Thanks so much for joining us.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Thank you for the opportunity.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Katie, thank you.
Well, we know Darwin and Palmerston volunteers of the Northern
Territory Emergency Service. They've been honored at a fiftieth anniversary
citation ceremony. So more than eighty volunteers, staff and families
attended an event in Palmerston to formally think volunteers for
their service and dedication and highlight the achievements of Northern
(00:20):
Territory Emergency Services. Now joining us in the studio is
NTEST Chief Officer Wayne Snell. Good morning to your Wayne.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Yeah, good morning Katie. Thanks very much having me on.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Yeah, lovely to have you on the show. Now tell
me fifty years. I mean it is a huge milestone
for the service. Remind us of some of the valuable
work that Northern Territory Emergency Services do.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Yeah, look, Katie, it really is valuable.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Fifty years is a fantastic milestone for an organization like ours,
especially one that's driven by our volunteers, and the length
and breadth of the activities that they've done during that
fifty years is just outstanding. So, you know, whether it
be responding to the various cyclones that we've had, the
storms that we've had, often, you know, community gets to
see them cutting up trees, moving debris, rescuing people with
(01:10):
their vertical rescue capability, supporting the other services, supporting the
fire agencies, doing all those sorts of things, as well
as the emergency management role that they have, trying to
coordinate the responses around the place and support the police
with the control of the events that happen in this
beautiful territory of ours.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Yeah, I look, it's such a beautiful place, but gee,
it's rugged, you know, Like, gee, we have some wild
weather and wild things happen. I would imagine that, you know,
working and volunteering for emergency services in the Northern Territory,
it's probably pretty different to other states. But gee, we
you know, like we bad above our average.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
I think we absolutely do. Territories really do step up
when they're needed.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
In this great territory of ours.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
The work that they do is really valuable not only
to the community, but also to all the visitors that.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
We have to this place.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
You know, it is the lifestyle, and it is the
the weather that we have and the beautiful natural surroundings
that we have. But all of those, of course come
with risk, you know, particularly as we approach the wet season.
This year as it gets closer and the work that
the volunteers do, really we couldn't function as a territory.
I don't think without that service.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
I mean, Wayne, fifty years, goodness me, what kind of
work has been done over that period of time. I
would imagine, you know, even when you look at one
particular season, sometimes we have a number of cyclones that
are impacting, you know, whether they have a direct hit
or whether we end up with a weather system. There
(02:36):
has been so much happen over a fifty year period
in the Northern Territory, hasn't.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
They There has, particularly when we look at the roots
of where the Northern Territory Emergency Service came from. You know,
we started out as Air aid wardens and then moved
through civil defense and then moved into a national Emergency
Services type scenario and then the territory and state based establishment.
I think that was actually good thing for the territory
because it became more focused then on what the territory
(03:03):
territory needed, what territorians needed, and our visitors needed. During
that time, the work that we've done, probably the work
hasn't changed greatly. The types of impacts that we see
on human beings and the impact to our economy, impact
to our beautiful natural surroundings that we also try and
support and protect. But what has changed is the way
(03:23):
that we do it. Yea, some of those things have changed.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
You know.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
We've got technology in the field now that people would
have dreamed of fifty years ago, and we've got the
opportunity for people volunteers to undertake roles potentially that we
weren't doing.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Fifty years ago.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
So there's a place for everybody in NTS.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
So the Non Churaich Emergency Service.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
Work welcomes everybody, regardless of their skill set, regardless of
what the history is or their background. We welcome everybody.
There's a role for everybody.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
Tell me a little bit more about those incredible volunteers.
How many do we have?
Speaker 3 (03:52):
We have just one two hundred and fifty volunteers at
the moment. We are in a cycler and upward cycle
at the moment. Try to bring in more volunteers is
where I was certainly offering volunteering the old model of volunteering,
where it was very regimented that sort of stuff.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
We're moving away from that model and moving to.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
A much more flexible model to reflect the territory lifestyle,
to be honest and to give people more of an
opportunity to contribute when they can, where they can, with
what they can. We will always need a group of
people who will be their core volunteer group who are
very highly trained across our range of rescue services, floodstorm operations,
those sorts of things.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
But there are other jobs as well for people.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
For example, at the moment, I'm looking for a protocol officer,
you know, somebody potentially with a former military background, only
needs to give a few hours every.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Month to help us with our events.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
You know, I'm looking for a chaplain at the moment
those sorts of things.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Logistics officers is.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
Another one as well as our fantastic general and rescue volunteers.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
So, as I said, there's a range of jobs for
everybody well, and.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
It sounds like a lot of different kinds of people
can contribute.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
If there are people listening this small that are interested
in maybe volunteering for NTESS, where can they go?
Speaker 3 (05:04):
They can go onto our website, norn Teritory Emergency's website
we've just still hosted at the moment, even though we've
moved out of underneath the police environment. We've moved away
from pfees into our own agency still. Go to that website,
click on the NTES and you will see how to
get in touch with us there. Our phone number is
also in the book. You can look us up online
and give us a call have a bit of a
(05:24):
chat about that. And as I said, we'll take everybody
for everybody who's got something to contribute.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Well, And obviously you celebrated the fifty years with that ceremony.
You know what kind of what happened at that ceremony.
What were some of the stories or some of the
you know, the different things that were discussed.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Yeah, so you know, everybody got a formal citation, or
every volunteer and every staff member who's working this year
gets a formal citation. And part of that formal citation
is a reflection of the type of work that's been
done in the last fifty years on behalf of the
territory government. Some of the things that we talked about
were some of the funny things that happened. You know, really,
non Church Emergency Services is more like a fairly orientated
(06:06):
business than a government department. To be honest with the
way that we do our business, which makes it fun
of course, so you know, there are always funny things whenever.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Human beings are involved.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
We talked about things, mistakes that we made in the field,
funny things that have happened that people have taken photographs of,
you know, and shared with others, but also some of
the some of the fantastic work that people have done,
the rescues that they've undertaken, the feedback we've got from
the community, individual community members, thanking thanking them for their fair,
often bravery, meritorious service, but also for the general work
(06:37):
of just being able to help and knowing that those
wonderful volunteers that we have are.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
Able to help them.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
I just love that, you know, you've got incredible people
like two hundred and fifty volunteers, two hundred and fifty
territories giving up their time for the greater good, for
the Northern Territory. I think that's a wonderful, wonderful thing.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
Absolutely, it is one of the most fulfilling parts of
my job is to actually watch the voluntar and watch
them help their neighbors and then pick up into a
truck and go with a group and go and help
the neighbors in the next town, the next village, and
then occasionally we pick up all of our goods and
shuttles and we move into another state or territory and.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Help them as well.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
So over the last fifty years and Northern Territory has
provided support into major responses right across Australia. And that's
one of the opportunities for volunteers is to be able
to go away and deploy we call it deploy into
another state or territory and support those communities because despite
the fact that we're here for the territory, we are
all Australians, so we do help one another occasionally. Eve
when we even help overseas good stuff.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
Wayne, What does the future look like? What's the next
fifty years look like? Do you think for Northern Territory
emergency Services.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Well, as we know our risks are not going away,
we're getting more compounding, complex and concurrent events. That puts
more pressure on us to make sure a that our
readiness is really good and that we support the community
to get ready. And next week, with the opening of
the higher risk weather season, we're going to give some advice,
quite a bit of advice next week and I might
be able to provide you with some of that and
(08:03):
also the responses. The expectations with the responses that we
have means that a we need to be.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Faster than what we have been in the past and we.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Need to be able to provide that range of services
to all territori ands. So we need to make sure
that there are no pockets of the territory that aren't
supported through our efforts and aren't supported through the recovery process.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Also, well, Wayne.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
Snell, Northern Territory Emergency Services Chief Officer, really appreciate your
time this morning. Thanks so much for joining us.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Thank you for the opportunity.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Katie, thank you.
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