Seventy teenagers have spent two days learning vital NSW State Emergency Service rescue skills at a Cadet Camp in Sydney this week.
Teenagers from schools across Sydney learnt flood rescue, urban search and rescue, first aid, and vertical rescue theory at Port Hacking Youthworks on Monday and Tuesday. The students also learnt how to use a radio and how to tie various knots.
Parliamentary Secretary for Families, Disability and Emergency Services and Member for Holsworthy, Melanie Gibbons, attended the camp and represented the Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott.
“The NSW SES Cadet Camp gives young people an appreciation for what emergency services do every day,” says Ms Gibbons.
“Not only does the camp give them that, but they go away with some great communication, teamwork and rescue skills as well.”
Some of the students have completed the NSW SES ten-week cadet course while others came from schools just for the two-day camp.
NSW SES Deputy Commissioner Fatima Abbas says that the camp has been making a difference to the lives of Sydney teenagers for more than a decade.
“The NSW SES Cadet Camp is now in its 11th year,” says Ms Abbas.
“It helps young people build their confidence and develop their decision-making skills.”