Just as I'm scheduled to start interviewing George Haitidis, the threatening black skies over Glen Waverley explode.
Melbourne's east is battered by the strongest of spring tempests and a city-drenching downpour.
A roof has come off a retirement village in Knoxfield and George, the Unit Controller (unit leader) of the Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES), Monash Unit, drops everything and runs.
'Drop everything and run' pretty much sums up the life of a VICSES volunteer.
"Every single day my friend, every single day," George laughs, three days later when things have quietened down a bit. "It keeps you entertained, that's for sure, and it keeps you engaged. Spring is the beginning of our high risk weather season, and it (the weather) is so unpredictable. And then we are into summer, and we've all done the training for fire season."
The unpredictable nature of Melbourne's weather was never more apparent than on Tuesday 13 February 2024, when the Monash area was battered by a supercell storm and suffered the worst storm devastation it had ever seen.
"Even that day of the Monash storms we were being briefed on how it was going to be a high fire danger day," George said.
That day, the VICSES Monash Unit was the busiest unit in the state, receiving nearly 1,200 requests for assistance by the end of the event.
See how VICSES Monash Unit responded to the supercell storm of February 2024:
Into The Storm - Full Documentary | Monash SES
VICSES provides emergency assistance across the state 24-hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It is a volunteer-based emergency service provider and is the control agency for flood, storm, tsunami, earthquake and landslide events throughout the state.
The VICSES Monash Unit responds, primarily, to emergencies within the City of Monash LGA, but also supports other emergency services (police, fire and ambulance) as well as neighbouring VICSES units.
There's no hard border when it comes to responding to emergency situations.
"We're everywhere, Knox, Whitehorse, Blackburn Lake," George said. "Just last week, our volunteers were at a Knoxfield retirement village, assisting elderly residents after their roofs were torn off in the storm. There were 65 impacted dwellings we provided response to. You can't walk away from something like that. This is what we do — we get out there and we help."
Whether it's providing emergency response to a storm event, supporting the fire brigade during a blaze, assisting Victoria Police with traffic management at a road accident, or providing search and rescue support when a young child goes missing in dense bushland – a VICSES volunteer is a jack of all trades.
"We're like the Swiss army knife of emergency services," George said. "But we love what we do, and we make a difference."
Boasting 68 members, the VICSES Monash Unit is a team more diverse than most.
"We're multi-cultural, we have men and women, we go from 19 (years old) way up to 76," George said. "We have retirees, uni students, people who are still working, police officers, ambos – a whole range of different people."
And, George said, it has been his experience that most people, incorrectly, have the idea that VICSES is a young person's game and that there must be an age limit for involvement.
"I've talked to people and many older community members think they can't do it," he said. "I've just had an 80-year-old retire. If you're reasonably physically fit and can still do what we need you to do, there's a place for you. It's so rewarding for them (some older volunteers) and it keeps them connected to the community. And they bring so much life experience to the role that can't be matched."
Beyond the operational roles, there's also finance, community education and engagement, media/social media, catering, maintenance, office work and administration.
"We're very accepting," George said. "If you're keen to get involved, there's always something you can do and a role for everyone."
While members often make lifelong friends through their shared VICSES experiences, George said the constant need to be ready to support someone in a perilous situation meant there was never the luxury of the unit becoming a social club.
"We make it quite clear when people first join – 'you carry a pager and you never turn that pager off'," he said. "You have to be ready."
VICSES Monash Unit has volunteers trained in general rescue skills, but the team also boasts a variety of more specialised skills, including storm and water, search and rescue, water rescue as well as emergency incident management. The unit trains weekly on Monday evenings but has members on call 24/7 to respond to emergencies.
Recruitment information sessions are held throughout the year, but any potential recruits can register their interest on the VICSES website: Become a volunteer
A PARTNERSHIP KEEPING MONASH SAFE
Monash Council and the VICSES Monash Unit have formed a strong bond, helping each other keep the community safe. It's a partnership George values highly.
Council supports the unit financially, through free rental of its headquarters at its Operations Centre in Notting Hill and assistance with the cost of mechanical work, insurance, registration and fuel for VICSES vehicles, while the VICSES Monash Unit assists Council with its vital community safety role and by undertaking important safety tasks outside of Council business hours.
As storms tore through Monash on 13 February 2024, VICSES volunteers and council staff worked shoulder-to-shoulder in their response, supporting the community through the aftermath.
"It's an important relationship and a partnership that needs to continue," George said. "I'd say it's one of the best partnerships (between a council and VICSES unit) in Victoria. It's one of the key things that got us through those storms (in 2024)."
IN AN EMERGENCY
For emergency storm and flood assistance, please call SES on 132 500.
If there is life at risk, always call triple-zero (000).
