IT TAKES a special person to volunteer to put themselves in harm's way to help others.
In floods, storms, tsunamis and some of the toughest days in people's lives - State Emergency Service volunteers are there to rescue, rebuild and offer a shoulder to lean on.
Wear Orange Wednesday is an opportunity to give thanks to those who generously donate their time to help the community in an emergency - people like Lake Macquarie SES local commander Christine Speer and her team.
"You really feel that you've achieved something, one of the things I love is the camaraderie you have within the unit and between units," she said.
"The members, we always call it the 'orange family' - you basically feel they are a part of your family.
"And, while it tends to get a bit large, I have friendships basically all around the state."
It's not uncommon for them to be asked why - many volunteers have regular jobs outside of their role at the SES that can put them in difficult situations.
The answer is simple, Ms Speer said.
"When we have new people come in the question is asked, 'why do you want to join?'" she said.
"For a lot of them, the stock-standard answer is that people want to give back to the community, they want to learn new skills."
The demand on SES units can be tough in an average year, but as 2022 brought with it horror floods in places like Lismore, it's been harder than most.
Locally, the SES is called upon to clean up significant storm damage and is well-known to flood-prone communities like Dora Creek and Marks Point.
In times of need, the work the SES crews do is unique and saves lives, Ms Speer said.
"It is critical that we are there because there's nobody else, the police have flood rescue capability and so do the Rural Fire Service and Fire and Rescue NSW to a degree, but it's not their responsibility," she said.
"We are a niche organisation with the importance of saving people and as much as possible their properties in events like floods - the importance for us to be there for some people is quite essential."
The units are always looking for new members to join the orange family and give back to the local community in a time of need.
For more information on how to volunteer, visit ses.nsw.gov.au.
