The Wollongong City Unit comprises around 100 volunteer members who provide immediate assistance to the City of Wollongong, which extends from Waterfall in the north to Yallah in the south and is home to around 190,000 people. Our members are available to respond 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to assist the community in any natural or man-made emergency.

Our core role is in responding to requests for assistance from the community during flood, storm and tempest events. We make temporary repairs to buildings damaged during storms, rescue people who are endangered, trapped or injured by floods or storms and evacuate those whose properties are threatened or made uninhabitable due to these events.

As well as providing an emergency response to flood and storm events we also work to help lessen their impact on the community by preparing plans, working with the Bureau of Meteorology to develop and disseminate warnings and providing community education.

The SES also provides assistance to other Emergency Services when they need it. Our Unit has a good working relationship with the other Emergency Service organisations in the Wollongong area so we have quite an active support role. Our most common support task is to the Police in searching for missing persons or for evidence at a crime scene.

Some other tasks that we are often involved in is assisting with the rescue of animals and providing support during bushfires for things like evacuations, transporting personnel and equipment and assisting with road closures.