Victoria’s emergency services volunteers will benefit from a $50,000 Brumby Labor Government boost to provide scholarships to emergency services volunteers.
Minister for Police and Emergency Services Bob Cameron made the announcement today at the 2010 Emergency Management Conference in Melbourne.
“Volunteers are the building blocks of our state’s emergency management arrangements, and we are proud to support them further their knowledge with this scholarship grant,” Mr Cameron said.
“The scholarships will provide volunteers with the opportunity to explore new areas and bring ideas back to their organisation.
“This is just one of the many ways our government is taking action to support our emergency services by giving them the skills, resources and knowledge they need to help keep communities safe.”
The Emergency Services Foundation manage the scholarship scheme which provides financial assistance grants of up to $10,000 for volunteers from Victorian emergency management agencies.
It supports volunteers to undertake research and study that aims to improve response and relief and reduce the impact of hazards experienced by emergency services.
“A strong volunteer culture is a vital part of Victoria’s emergency response capacity and builds community confidence,” Mr Cameron said.
“Our Government has a strong record of support for Victoria’s emergency services and volunteers, having almost tripled the emergency services budget since coming to government to $722 million in 2010/11.”
The Emergency Services Foundation, a charitable organisation established to provide immediate support to families of emergency service workers who experience loss or death in the line of duty, administers scholarships to emergency services workers and hosts the annual Emergency Management Conference.
This year’s conference theme is ‘Resilient Communities,’ and it features local, interstate and international guest speakers including Professor Ed Blakely, the former director of disaster recovery in New Orleans, and Patrick Meier, director of Ushahidi, a technology-based crisis mapping project recently used in Africa and Haiti.