- WOW Day celebrations to recognise dedicated State Emergency Service volunteers
- Prominent buildings and landmarks to light up orange across the State
- Communities encouraged to wear a splash of orange in show of support
Buildings and community hubs across Western Australia will light up orange tomorrow to honour more than 1,900 State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers between Kununurra and Esperance.
Wear Orange Wednesday (WOW Day) recognises SES personnel all over the State who give up countless hours to assist communities impacted by severe weather and natural disasters.
Landmarks across the metropolitan area lighting up orange include RAC Arena, Trafalgar Bridge, Yagan Square, the Bell Tower and Elizabeth Quay. Bunbury, Busselton, Kununurra, Kalgoorlie and Geraldton are some of the regional localities also lighting up.
Community members are encouraged to wear a splash of orange to show their appreciation of SES volunteers who respond in the wake of storms, cyclones or floods, assist police with land and air searches and provide logistical support at bushfires.
Crews have responded to more than 2,200 calls for assistance in 2025 and 620 so far this year, with five cyclones directly impacting the northern WA coast as well as several other tropical lows and flooding events this wet season.
As stated by Emergency Services Minister Paul Papalia:
"SES volunteers played a crucial role in the response to Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle in March, putting the needs of friends, neighbours and families before their own under extreme conditions.
"The SES have proudly protected WA communities since 1959 and demonstrate incredible courage and tenacity, including responding to destructive cyclones in remote parts of the Kimberley this wet season, significant storms in the South West in April and searches for missing people at all hours of the night and in difficult weather and terrain.
"On behalf of the State Government I would like to thank our volunteers in orange and ask all Western Australians to join me in showing their appreciation by wearing the SES colours on WOW Day tomorrow."
