A new, larger SES depot at Deception Bay and record recruit intake will ramp up disaster response across Moreton Bay.
The opening of the new $7.5 million Deception Bay SES depot follows last week’s damaging storms.
Council says that in three weeks, Moreton Bay SES completed more than 1300 support tasks across South-East Queensland.
Spanning 8000 square metres, the new depot is six times larger than the 40-year-old building it replaces and accommodate four times the previous volunteer workforce; the depot also received two more vehicles (with all-terrain capability) and other equipment.
The new facility will boost training capacity, from 50 members a night to 120.
Moreton Bay Mayor Peter Flannery is thrilled to see the project come to fruition after years of planning and advocacy.
“The new depot provides unprecedented capability for the SES in Moreton Bay, giving our hardworking volunteers access to the latest equipment and training they need to help our residents in their time of need,” he said.
“It was only last year, through council advocacy, that Moreton Bay received election commitment funding and in just 12 months, we’ve seen the depot built.”
The depot was funded 50-50 by council and the state government.
The Deception Bay SES Group services an area stretching from Deception Bay to Laceys Creek in the west, the government says.
Emergency Services Minister Dan Purdie says the local SES now have a fit-for-purpose facility.
“No government can control the weather, but we can make sure our volunteers have the tools and facilities they need to face it,” he says.
MORE SES RECRUITS FOR DECEPTION BAY
The Deception Bay SES will also welcome a record intake of 35 recruits.
Council’s Local Disaster Management Group chairman Matthew Constance says the figure is their largest ever single group.
“Since the 2022 floods, there has been a 187% increase in requests for assistance from the SES across Moreton Bay outside of major operations,” he says.
“Those requests will only increase as our city grows. I’ve got no doubt this facility will help meet that demand.”
In a nod to the past, a framed piece of wall from the old depot and (built by the original SES Group in 1985) and plans will be on display in the new depot.
Councillor Sandra Ruck says the SES Group is now entering a new era.
“The community the local SES Group served over the past 20 years has transformed from a semi-rural to highly urbanised area,” she says.
When to call Qld SES
Contact SES 132 500 from anywhere in Queensland for non-life-threatening emergency assistance during severe weather events. If the situation is life threatening, call Triple Zero (000).
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