HSS awarded for supporting emergency services volunteers
Our HSS ICT business unit was recently awarded a Volunteer Employer Recognition Award (VERA) by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) in recognition of the support we provide to our employees who volunteer with emergency services.
As one of 80 recipients of the award across WA,HSS was praised for supporting training, facilitating time off work to assist in emergencies, and encouraging our people to bring new ideas to the organisation based on their volunteer experiences.
Acting Senior Orchestration Services, ICT Infrastructure Platforms Steve Lake, who has been a volunteer firefighter with the Kalamunda Bush Fire Brigade for 20 years, said HSS have shown unwavering support to enable him to assist with various emergencies.
"I’m really grateful for my team, manager and director for consistently accepting and encouraging my volunteering duties.
“We were in the middle of a big project when the Wooroloo bush fire started in January 2021, and my team took on my work without hesitation so I could go help fight the fire.
“Wooroloo was the first bush fire in years that saw a large loss of homes in WA, but hundreds more were saved. Freeing me upto respond to the fire meantmy team contributed to my part in saving those homes.
“I couldn’t do what I do without the support from my team and HSS.”
Steve has also been able to draw on his experience as a long-time emergency services volunteer and Bush fire Incident Controller to explore how HSS can continuously improve the way we manage ICT-related incidents within the organisation.
HSS Acting Chief Information Officer, Jonathan Smith, who accepted the award on behalf of HSS at a special VERA ceremony,said many people across the organisation contributed to this achievement.
“I would like to thank every emergency services volunteer at HSS for helping to protect the community and for keeping us safe,” Jonathan said.
“At the same time, we recognise various team members who have stepped up and enabled our volunteers to respond to emergencies.”
“We should all feel proud of this award.”
Supporting our people to volunteer with emergency services is just another way HSS are contributing positively to society.
Our employees can access Emergency Services Leave to ensure they are not financially disadvantaged volunteering to respond to emergencies.