FLOODS, rescues and storm damage across Orange could soon give students and staff at Charles Sturt University (CSU) the opportunity to get involved with the NSW State Emergency Service (SES).
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This week, CSU and SES signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will benefit both entities during emergencies and training.
CSU vice chancellor professor Andrew Vann said the MOU meant that media, incident management and paramedic students could assist the SES during call outs.
“I think it’s a really exciting opportunity for us to expand the experiences that our students and our staff have had with the SES up to this point,” he said.
Professor Vann said the voluntary role for students and staff with the SES meant that they could get real-life experience in their chosen fields of study.
“We’re a very practical university and all of our students get hands-on experience as part of their study,” he said. “The opportunity for communications or media students to be involved with the SES in times that will be quite challenging and interesting is a great opportunity for them.”
SES Commissioner Mark Smethurst said he hoped the initiative would lead to more people deciding to volunteer with emergency service group.
“It’s a really good opportunity to work together for a common cause and supporting emergency management across the state,” he said.
“We are making volunteering more flexible in the way we provide opportunities for people.”