The crew is recruiting operators to assist during floods with evacuations and rescue from floodwaters, and are aiming to recruit and train enough to be able to cover both Griffith and to be able to assist other crews if needed.

Duties of rescuers will include rescuing motorists trapped in flooded vehicles, rescuing residents isolated by floodwaters, assisting residents with evacuations and working with flood-damaged communities and areas.

Erin Sinclair, a volunteer and boat operator herself, said that being a flood technician was one of the more high-risk jobs the SES had, but they would be training everyone comprehensively and running fitness tests to ensure everyone would be well-prepared for the task.

"We're looking for people who are water babies, essentially. People who can swim, who aren't worried about getting into the water. It's one of the more high-risk jobs you can do in the SES, the other one would be vertical rescue," she explained.

"We pay for all the training, and then we also supply you with equipment. Typically, a floodboat operator doesn't need that much. If you become a floodwater technician though, you get a whole new set of equipment and specific gear for that."

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Miss Sinclair said that for those less water-inclined, there were a range of other roles they were keen to fill.

"We really need to increase our membership, we'd love to recruit another 20 or 30 people in the next few months."

"Our jobs are only getting bigger, they're getting more involved ... We're really happy for anyone who is interested. It's training just once a week on Wednesday nights, and then there's additional courses. I've been a member for 2 years, I feel like people would love it if they just got involved," Miss Sinclair explained.

More information on the role and applications are available through the SES website and the Griffith SES facebook page. The facebook page also provides flood alerts and evacuation notices.

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