ACT State Emergency Service

Being a member of the ACTSES requires a strong commitment. 

As a volunteer with the ACTSES, you should expect to:

• Assist all members of our community,
• Assist the community at any time of the day or night, and
• Get dirty, tired, wet, hot, or cold – sometimes all at once!

Service values 

The ACTSES is part of the ACT Public Service, and as such its volunteers demonstrate the values of:

• Respect
• Integrity
• Collaboration
• Innovation

The initial training undertaken by ACTSES volunteers is a significant commitment which involves a combination of face to face and online training, a fitness test and visits with the Units.’ Recruitment is undertaken on an annual cycle. If you’d like to be notified when our next recruitment round opens please complete our online register of interest.

It is acknowledged and understood that volunteers’ main priorities are family and work. On average, an ACTSES volunteer spends five hours a week ‘in orange’. Below is an indication of minimum attendance requirements:

All ACTSES members attend training on a weekly basis. In addition to these scheduled training commitments, volunteers are required to maintain the currency of their skills by attending community events and operations related to their position within the Service.

Both Field Operations and Operations Support members respond to callouts within their communities, across the ACT, and sometimes inter-state as needed.

Rewards/Benefits

The rewards are many – learning new skills, keeping fit, gaining valuable qualifications, earning respect within the community, having fun, and being active as part of a dedicated team. Additionally, you can also gain: 

• A great sense of achievement,
• Many unique and interesting experiences and opportunities,
• Nationally accredited training, 
• The opportunity to meet likeminded people and make lifelong friends,
• The opportunity to make a difference in your community, and
• The opportunity to receive formal recognition including ACTSES, ACT Government and national honours and awards.

Members of the ACTSES deliver a broad range of capabilities to the community.

Training is comprehensive and is aligned to national units of competency, mostly from the Public Safety Training Package. Training and assessment are provided by subject matter experts and nationally qualified trainers and assessors, many of whom are ACTSES volunteers.

Compliance Requirements

• The ACT Working with Vulnerable People card application can take up to 21 days to process. Therefore, prospective members are advised to apply for this card as early as possible.
• A Unique Student Identifier (USI) is required to obtain qualifications completed through the ACTSES. If you do not have a USI you can apply for one through the following link: www.usi.gov.au.
• A National Police Check is required.

Age Requirements

ACTSES accepts members from the age of 16 (with parental consent) and from 18 for general membership.

Junior members are required to have 2:1 supervision at all times. Participation in operations is under the direction of the associated commander. 

Health Requirements

As part of the application process prospective members must provide a medical report from their medical practitioner clearing them to undertake physical activities. A copy of the medical clearance will be provided following completion of the EOI to join. 

Fitness Requirements

A reasonable degree of fitness is required for most roles, although ACTSES welcomes membership enquiries from people with a range of abilities.