The town’s peak snow season and winter school holidays often result in a busy few weeks for SES crews. However, Mansfield SES controller Ros Fauvel was delighted that people in the community this year seemed to “have been looking out for their safety more”. In a recap of the holiday period, Ros acknowledged that the winter break is “sometimes known for resulting in people stranded on walking trails and [with] hurt ankles”. This year, however, “we didn’t get any of that”, Ros explained. She said SES crews had not received a single callout involving a land search and rescue emergency in recent weeks. Calls instead included two vehicle incidents and multiple reports of hazards following a storm. Ros described how the storm earlier this month caused a few busy days for volunteers, with crews receiving most of their callouts for the entire school holiday period within five days. She also summarised the types of calls received in relation to the storm, which included 18 fallen trees, three landslides and one callout for building damage. However, the SES controller said that, despite the storm, the school holiday period was quieter than expected. Ros acknowledged the efforts of SES members in responding to these emergencies, along with recent activities aimed at informing the public about safety. These included collaborations with local radio station Radio Mansfield, which has been hosting SES crew members. Ros believes the collaboration helped keep locals informed and safer during the winter break.
