Tamworth, along with Inverell SES, will take delivery of the new trucks by August, replacing vehicles which are almost 30 years old.

Minister for Emergency Services David Elliott said the trucks, valued at more than $200,000, feature a six metre mast with LED lights, hydraulic generator, protection bar fitted with a winch and will be able to respond to flood rescues and storm emergencies, such as roof and large tree operations, as well as land searches.

“The storm trucks will ensure volunteers are responding to calls for assistance by local communities in state-of-the-art vehicles equipped for the challenging roles they perform and with safety at the core of the design,” Mr Elliott said.

NSW SES Commissioner Adam Dent said the trucks set the benchmark for storm response vehicles in Australia.

“These vehicles will boost our capacity to respond to natural disasters and are the result of hard work and collaboration between community volunteers and government in developing the best design,” Mr Dent said.

Meanwhile, the Tamworth SES unit has also been awarded a grant to help educate the public to prepare for a disaster.

The Tamworth unit is one of 18 NSW SES units across the state to get a boost for their local community engagement initiatives, with the grants awarded in conjunction with NRMA Insurance.

According to the SES, the unit will use the grant, in conjunction with the Namoi Region unit, to promote FloodSafe week by opening a pop-up cafe in Tamworth. 

SES Namoi regional controller Andrew Galvin said the grant will help NSW SES volunteers continue their important community engagement work. 

“Our volunteers are always there for their community in times of emergencies and these grants will see them have an even bigger impact in ensuring people have access to information on storm and flood safety,” he said.

Through the pop-up cafe, the unit hopes to increase awareness and participation in FloodSafe week as well as the number of households that create home emergency plans.