State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers are a group of normal every day people dedicated to supporting the community in emergency situations. Volunteers make themselves available to be called out to emergencies, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week as and when required and in most cases are generously supported by their employers.
SES volunteers care about their communities and are unpaid professionals. SES provides its members with the appropriate skills & knowledge to enable them to perform their operational tasks and functions in a safe and effective manner.
The SES is a volunteer organisation and designed to help WA communities in the planning, prevention, response and recovery phases of emergencies and disasters.
City of Karratha Volunteer Recognition Award
Damien Muller surrounded by fellow volunteers, recognised for length of service to our local community.
Having joined the Karratha SES in April 1996 Damien Muller has developed expertise in numerous aspects of rescue over his twenty (20) years of volunteering with the Karratha Unit. In recent years he has dedicated more than 1500 hours to operational and training activities across Road Crash Rescue, Vertical Rescue, First Aid and Storm Damage events.
Damien has progressed to the level of Team Leader and Senior Trainer in a number of these areas, becoming a vital link in the ongoing training and competence of the new and longer term members of Karratha SES. His enthusiasm for Vertical Rescue activities is evident by the time dedicated to training new members, honing the skills of experienced teams and training in ropes techniques and Vertical Rescue courses in Karratha and across the Pilbara, expanding to other regions of the State providing essential training so many SES Units without trainers would otherwise miss out on.
Damien has been instrumental in establishing a strict training regime for Vertical Rescue Team Members and Team Leaders for Karijini National Park where a very high skill base is essential to ensure the safety of the general public and our SES teams undertaking very strenuous (can be up to 8hrs per rescue) and dangerous rescues in the gorges, many during the night.
Damien’s wider experience in injury management and rescue logistics has been applied in locations around Karratha and beyond. His engagement and technical skills in post cyclone incidents in Onslow and Rail Camp 1&2 were insurmountable.
Damien has also stepped up to leadership of teams despatched to Perth following storms and utilised his expertise in land searches which ensured beneficial outcomes to community members wherever he has left his mighty footprint. He is widely appraised by SES staff and volunteers through the length and breadth of this big state of ours.
Damien has undertaken the position of Deputy Manager, providing leadership across all aspects of the SES portfolio to ensure the safety of the community is always the number one priority. Damien has managed the Emergency Operation Centre during cyclones and other operational activations and he was never too far from his passion for providing training opportunities whenever time permitted.
Damien is very dedicated to the ongoing vitality of the Karratha SES, his professionalism is unquestionable. The leaders within the Unit are very honoured to work with Damien as is the full membership of the Karratha Volunteer SES.
His fan club are proud to have been with him to celebrate this mighty milestone and represent the well wishes of the Unit.
Marie, Jo, Vicki, Karena and Bjossi say congratulations Damien!