News

The ABC TV series I was actually there shared some powerful events in Australian history. The first episode featured the 1996 Port Arthur massacre. The podcast associated with this episode is by Craig Harwood, a sniper with Victoria Police who was actually there. It's...

Thanks to Philippa from Wildlife and Welfare for a donation of veterinary supplies to SAVEM. Philippa was working on a vaccination program for dogs in remote communities, and had some disposables at the end of the program looking for a home. SAVEM has received the...

Our volunteers represent a diverse range of backgrounds. The largest cohort are our Veterinarians and Veterinary nurses who devote their time and expertise to our remit of best-practice animal welfare for all species in all hazards. SAVEM volunteers train throughout...

SAVEM training is aligned with the requirements of many other emergency services. An article in Fire Australia, Issue 4, 2023, pages 38-39, outlines the Fitness for Role program developed by the SES, the National Council for Fire and Emergency Services (AFAC), Natural...

SAVEM Training for 2023 concluded on 3 December, with a finale of Christmas cake and (non-alcoholic) drinks. A number of courses were run during the year by the diligent and hard-working Training Team, including SAVEM Level 1, Exercise In-Tent, Exercise Respond, Radio...

SAVEM thanks Reverend Sheila and Northfield Christian Spiritualist Mission for a generous donation to SAVEM. NCSM has supported SAVEM since the Sampson Flat fire of 2015, but has recently been wound up due to dwindling volunteer numbers to maintain and run their...

The Coordinator's latest publication is a chapter (Chapter 19) in a Springer publication: Geohazards and Disaster Risk Reduction: Multidisciplinary and Integrated Approaches. The chapter is about normalising and achieving all hazards preparedness in the community, and...

  SAVEM training 2023 began with a Level 1 training day on 7 May at the Crafers Institute Hall. An enthusiastic group of new and "refreshing" volunteers who had completed their online training modules participated in an agenda of Emergency Management topics....

Completion of SAVEM's River Murray Response 2022-2023 At the end of January 2023 SAVEM stood down from its Activation to the River Murray Flood Response. Our collaborative partner in this response - fellow Participating Organisation in the State Emergency Management...

SAVEM's Logistics officer, Emilis Prelgauskas, wrote today's post to accompany aerial photos of the 2022/23 River Murray floods. Photos were taken by Richard Clarkson, Murray Bridge Gliding Club. The public news is that the water flow peak in the River Murray has...

RIVER MURRAY RESPONSE – PREPARING TO SUPPORT THE HUMAN-ANIMAL BOND SAVEM was activated in mid-November as a Participating Organisation to support other agencies in flood response. As noted in other posts, the early focus has been on professional veterinary animal...

SAVEM’s activation to assist the Department of Environment and Water (DEW) in the River Murray floods is about to enter a second month. SAVEM veterinarians’ main task is to provide expert animal welfare advice to DEW with respect to stranded wildlife. Many animals...

As river levels rise, SAVEM continues to assist the Department of Environment and Water (DEW). DEW is leading this response with SAVEM assisting with veterinary assessment of wildlife. This work takes place from two- or three-person boats, piloted by very experienced...

SAVEM is Activated for the River Murray Response. Preparations began on 9 November in readiness for Activation on 21 November. A highly experienced First Response Team departed for Berri on 24 November meeting very briefly at Bridgewater CFS. Our mission is to assist...

A beautiful day dawned for SAVEM’s Exercise Respond 2022. This was in contrast to the very wintery 2021 September event. This time we Exercised south of Adelaide near Meadows, wore sunhats and sunscreen, and were vigilant for awakening reptiles. Volunteers respond to...

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Research Masters student Jena Ellis is conducting research to understand donor intent and its impact on philanthropic accountability following a natural hazard emergency incident. Jena is interviewing people over 18 who...

On the weekend of 24 and 25 September 2022, SAVEM took part in the inaugural Hills Small Acreage Field Day at Echunga in the Adelaide Hills. We were invited to attend by the organiser of the event, Stirling Rotary Club, who were generous in their support of SAVEM by...

This year SAVEM presented a new program for Radio Comms training, changing the format to a single six-hour session rather than two three-hour sessions. Trainees were expertly instructed by Mark Thomason – Mark has many years experience as a Level 3 Incident Controller...

SAVEM vehicle orientation training is a new training day added by the training team in 2022 to help volunteers build their familiarity with the SAVEM fleet in peacetime, rather than at the time of activation. Small groups rotated through four "stations", each with a...

SAVEM volunteer veterinarians and vet nurses attended Parts 1 and 2 of the Wildlife Emergency Response Skills training program given by wildlife master vet, Dr Ian Hough, at Cleland Wildlife Park in the Adelaide Hills. Ian's expertise and decades pf experience, his...

The arrival of winter brings a welcome end to bushfire season. SAVEM trains to all hazards, but bushfire is the most common emergency event requiring a SAVEM activation. However, peacetime is no time to relax - the SAVEM Training Team works hard to bring relevant...

The Coles fire near Lucindale in the South East began on 19 January 2022, and burnt 6000 hectares of plantation timber and a small amount of adjacent farmland. Initially there were no reports of animal injuries, but as usual, animals began to emerge from their refuges...

The Australian Journal of Emergency Management (AJEM) is published quarterly by the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience (AIDR). AJEM is free to read online - SAVEM encourages our volunteers to make use of this important resource. SAVEM Training Team...

Thanks to all who participated so enthusiastically in SAVEM's Exercise InTent 2021. We had a very productive afternoon inflating the SAVEM Hackett Foundation Air Shelter (Covertex NZ) and fitting the new components we have been able to purchase with a grant from...

Exercise Respond 2021 on 12 September was a great success. Despite very cold conditions with rain, hail and wind, four teams of enthusiastic volunteers, plus Logistics and the Training Team practised Activation to a hypothetical fire in Belair National Park....

The next SAVEM Level 1 Training Day will be held on Sunday 16 May 2021, 0900 to 1630. Venue is the Cherry Gardens Community Hall, 312 Cherry Gardens Road, Cherry Gardens. To be eligible, participants must register with SAVEM and have completed the SAVEM on-line...

On 12 March 2021 “Koala Life” was launched at Cleland Wildlife Park (CWP). The launch included the World Premiere of Blinky Bill Is On The Loose, a new musical theatre production for children and families presented by Theatre Bugs, and based on the original Blinky...

For news on the Cherry Gardens fire please go to "LATEST NEWS" and click on "FIRE UPDATES". The fire updates button on the home page is currently not visible on all devices - we are working to fix this problem. The photo below shows SAVEM 2 on fireground 31 January...

Happy New Training Year! The first SAVEM training event for 2021 was held successfully on 10 January - the Air Shelter Team. Volunteers new to the team comprised 50% of participants, and were "buddied up" with an experienced mentor. Team Leader Deb directed two...

SAVEM finished 2020 with a great team effort to make up for lost training time due to COVID. From 29 November 2020 we successfully held four training events in 11 days – 1 x Level 1, 2 x Operational Updates and 1 x special topic. The Training calendar for January to...

The federal Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements (known colloquially as the Bushfire Royal Commission) issued its report on 28th October 2020 and this was received by the federal parliament on 30th October 2020. Like almost 1400 other...

SAVEM’s new online training modules are now available. Completion of this mandatory training is prerequisite to attending a Level 1 training day, and is highly recommended for all volunteers as a refresher - as we have now arrived at the brink of the 2020/2021 fire...

A few weeks ago SAVEM received an unexpected parcel in the mail – arriving from California. Inside a well-packed box were 16 Stars of Hope – plywood stars painted, decorated and annotated with images and messages of encouragement, gratitude and support. They arrived...

Arthropods are often overlooked as victims of bushfire. Birds too mostly don’t just “fly away” as many people hope they will. Summer 2019/2020 was devastating for the small creatures that are critical parts of our biodiversity. Loss of habitat, territory, food and...

SAVEM 3 - one of six vehicles donated by Animals Australia for bushfire response in the 2019/2020 "Black Summer" bushfires - has had signage completed by Signs By Knight at St Marys - thankyou Tony, Aaron and Jess. Rooftop lights were installed by TJM when SAVEM 3...

The SAVEM Training Team is aiming to resume face-to-face training in September and October, COVID-19 restrictions permitting. Two Level 1 sessions are being planned, on 20 September and 18 October, 2020, with a pre-season Operational Update scheduled at this stage for...

The SAVEM Training Team would like to share with you our plans for training in 2020. Our intention to hold several SAVEM Level 1 training days during peacetime 2020 has - obviously - had to be reviewed. We had hoped, and were looking forward, to meeting many of our...

SAVEM would like to share some positive news from Kangaroo Island. Although this news was received prior to the impact of COVID19 upon all of us, we believe it is important not to lose sight of the events which shaped our lives earlier in the year during the horrific...

As usual at this point in a major bushfire activation, SAVEM has plenty of work still to do. Only yesterday, a burned kangaroo required euthanasia at the Cudlee Creek fireground, and during this last week on Kangaroo Island the SAVEM team checked several sites...

Today marks the 36th day of the current continuous deployments which began on 20 December 2019, at Cudlee Creek and at the Kangaroo Island fires. SAVEM teams have rotated throughout this time, rostering and resting 20 participating volunteers. As in previous major...

SAVEM has enjoyed collaborating with several other agencies during this Activation. RSPCA, DEW, KI Vets and Joint Task Force have joined forces in the SAVEM Tent to deliver positive veterinary outcomes for the Island's wildlife. To help Parndana in its return to...

Day 12 saw SAVEM Team 5 (pictured below) deployed to Kangaroo Island. We are forever grateful to Simon Hackett who has flown SAVEM vets and nurses to and from Kingscote in his PC12 aircraft. Simon also donated the SAVEM Tent seen in the photographs below. Manufactured...

Yesterday was a "first" for SAVEM - the SAVEM Hackett Foundation inflatable field triage and treatment centre was deployed for the first time outside a training environment. There was much debate as to where the Tent would be best utilised. The still "going" Ravine...

The first SAVEM team has completed its rotation, and the second took the field on Monday 6 January. During this time, the team has been working in collaboration with the Joint Task Force (JTF) from the Australian Defence Force (ADF). On Thursday 9 January, the third...

Dear SAVEM supporters, THANKYOU for your generosity, interest and help. The SAVEM website has been challenged of late, but we thankyou for your patience. Our IT people have worked hard to overcome some technical issues. Updates on SAVEM's current fireground...

The Department of Environment and Water has issued a formal statement signed off by Professor Chris Daniels, Director of Cleland Wildlife Park, that SAVEM is the "go-to" organisation for wildlife in emergencies in South Australia. Please see:...

The UK based company TBA Firefly produces kevlar products suitable for bushfire resistant construction in buildings and formwork for metal castings. Fireflyt Horse Protection has been developed by the company director (a horse owner) for horses left in the open in...

SAVEM has a strong culture of promoting continuous improvement - we keep a "weather eye" watch for innovations relevant to our mission, pertinent for future use. We thank Cathy, a resident of California who sent us this link:...

The SAVEM inflatable field hospital dedicated trailer has arrived today. The Coordinator and the Logistics manager collected the trailer from Signs By Knight, who have signed all four SAVEM vehicles and trailers. The next task is to transfer the hospital packs from...

An enthusiastic and diverse group of new volunteers completed SAVEM’s Level 1 course on Sunday 1 December. They were joined by some more experienced volunteers who seized the opportunity to come along for “refresher” training. St John’s Anglican Church Hall was...

SAVEM has not been Activated by PIRSA for the Yorketown fire. On Thursday 21 November the SAVEM Coordinator rang YP Vets as a professional courtesy and to offer support, left a message on Dr Natalie’s phone and spoke to a staff member at the Kadina practice – making...

If you would like to make a donation to help animals in the current bushfire emergency in NSW and Queensland, you may like to consider the options below. SAVEM does not have any direct association with these agencies, and the decision to donate, and to whom, is...

The last Level 1 training day for 2019 will be held on Sunday 1 December, 1100 to 1800 at St John's Church Hall, 337 Main Road, Coromandel Valley. New volunteers wishing to be response ready will first need to complete the pre-requisite online training...

Two teams of SAVEM volunteers, plus trainers and facilitators, attended Exercise Respond 2019 at Gumeracha CFS Group Base, and Bushland Park, Lobethal, on Sunday November 3. The day began with a session on developing our "To Go" kits, which we'd all...

SAVEM's Radio Comms training was successfully held on 29 October at St John's Church Hall, Coromandel Valley. Thanks to SA Country Fire Service (CFS) for assisting with training content, and to the Wireless Institute Civil Emergency Network (WICEN) for...

The SAVEM Tent Team trained on 13 October 2019, indoors at the Cherry Gardens Memorial Hall. The Hall is ideal as there is plenty of room for the fully inflated tent, allowing us to train effectively in adverse weather conditions. We were also able to...

The SAVEM Field Hospital (AKA the Tent) trailer project is well underway, thanks to a grant from the Natural Disaster Resilience Program and Premier Trailers at Kilburn. The SAVEM Logistics manager delivered the SAVEM horse float and the tent packs to...

Ten senior SAVEM volunteers are completing their 4WD training with Adventure 4WD in the classroom at Collinswood and in the field at their Lyndoch track. The Hilux has met all expectations and our trainees are learning about the capabilities of the...

The SAVEM Training Calendar for October to December 2019 is now uploaded under the Volunteers tab. New volunteers first need to complete the online training module and watch our Fireground Safety video. All volunteers should watch the video prior to the...

29 July 2019The Coordinator and Logistics manager accepted an invitation to speak to Roseworthy CFS brigade about SAVEM's history, role and future plans. Dublin and Mallala brigades also attended for an enjoyable and interactive evening of discussion.We...

The Coordinator attended the City of Onkaparinga Community Grants presentation. SAVEM received a grant from the City of Onkaparinga to purchase volunteer Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Sincere thanks to Mayor Erin Thompson and the City of...

Read the latest newsletter here: SAVEM Newsletter July 2019, Vol.7 No.1 Read our previous newsletters.

The 6th International Fire Behaviour and Fuels Conference 30 April – 2 May 2019, Darling Harbour, Sydney.   Attendance report With the generous assistance of the City of Onkaparinga’s 2018-19 Community Training and Development Fund, the Coordinator was...

SAVEM demonstrated deployment of the SAVEM Hackett Foundation mobile field hospital to His Excellency Hieu Van Le AC, Governor of South Australia, and Mrs Lan Le, on Wednesday 19 September 2018, at Weymouth Oval, Coromandel Valley. Thanks to Coromandel...

SAVEM sincerely thanks Roger at West's Auto Repairs, Steve at Adelaide Fast Blast, Dave and Ben from Crispin Crash, JB and Tony from Signs By Knight, and Danny from Dantrak Automotive for their superb contribution to the SAVEM Horse Float...

Funding for an All Terrain Vehicle for SAVEM has been approved. Note below an excerpt from the letter by Acting Emergency Services Minister Ian Hunter. "I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and the volunteers at the South...