What do the SES and IT Services have in common? For Trent Ross, it’s problem-solving and leadership. “When a major issue happens at the hospital, it’s stressful. You’ve got to think on your feet and come up with a solution. It’s the same in the SES, no matter the incident you go to,” he said.
Trent has been a SES volunteer for 10 years and has worked at Bendigo Health for the last three, holding leadership positions in both. At work, he’s the team leader of the Technical Services Team, which oversees the IT infrastructure of Bendigo Health. In the SES, Trent currently works in Ops Readiness, which involves coordinating crews, preparing them for incidents and ensuring the equipment is ready to go.
From the moment he had his first interview, Trent said Bendigo Health were willing to support his SES commitments. Three years later, this is still the case.
“Emergencies happen at all times, not just outside of business hours. I’m allowed to respond to emergencies during work hours and take emergency services leave, which is handy. There’s no issues there,” he said.
When the major storms hit Bendigo in October, Trent was in charge of the Divisional Command Point spanning from Echuca to Gisborne. At one point, he was simultaneously managing eight flood rescues.
“There were some days where I was very tired at work, but I knew if I needed to I had the opportunity to take a couple of extra hours off in the morning to catch up on sleep,” he said.
While times like this are challenging, Trent ultimately enjoys the variety the two roles offer.
“Tending tree down traffic hazards are probably the more fun ones in my opinion. You get to use the chainsaw and get a good workout, whereas car accidents get the adrenaline pumping. Someone’s probably having one of the worst days of their life, so I don’t wish that on anyone,” he said.
“I appreciate being able to go out in the SES and do completely different stuff to what I do in my day job [at Bendigo Health], which keeps it interesting.”
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