page_title: South Australian State Emergency Service
section_title: Notable Emergency Responses
hierarchical_section_title: South Australian State Emergency Service / History / Notable Emergency Responses
caption_attribution_description: English: Kangaroo Island on 7 January 2020 with burn scars caused by bushfires, captured by Terra satellite and enhanced by using correction reflectance bands on the MODIS.
context_page_description: The South Australian State Emergency Service is the South Australian branch of the State Emergency Service, partner of the Australian Council of State Emergency Services. The service, founded in 1962, is volunteer based, and prepares and responds to emergencies within the state. It receives on average 10,000 calls for assistance per year.The SASES is a separate entity, independent of other branches, and reports to the South Australian Minister for Emergency Services. The service is funded by a levy imposed on every household in the state, and is currently led by chief officer Chris Beattie with assistance from the South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission.
context_section_description: Cyclone Tracy (1974) — Following the cyclone, over 30,000 people were evacuated from Darwin to Adelaide. The SASES worked alongside the Red Cross in response to the disaster, giving evacuees assistance, guidance, and shelter.
  Ash Wednesday Fires I (1980) — The SASES's first major fire event warranted better preparation for future similar incidents, as at that time, they "had not been used to such incidents".
  Ash Wednesday Fires II (1983) — Following the previous Ash Wednesday fires, these fires were responded to more efficiently through a "more cohesive" management strategy between rural and metropolitan units.
  Northern South Australia Flooding (2007) — The SASES assisted prior to the flooding through sandbagging in community areas, evacuations through air searches and road rescues, and cleaning up communities in the aftermath.
  MH370 Air Search (2013) —The organisation sent 4 volunteers to assist in the international search for the aircraft wreck.
  2016 South Australian Floods — The SASES responded to over 600 calls for assistance, and worked to fix power outages, flooding, and evacuations, with the most damage occurring in the south of Adelaide. The organisation opened a relief center for households with extreme damage.
  2017 Queensland Cyclone Debbie — The SASES ran the South Australian assistance strategy to deal with the cyclone, sending various emergency services and specialists to Queensland to assist with recovery and response.
  Australian Bushfires (2019–2020) — The bush fire season saw devastation across South Australia, specifically in Kangaroo Island, where units volunteered to travel to the Island to assist the local unit and CFS with recovery and preparations. Following the bush fires, volunteers were thanked by the community through a range of events and initiatives, such as the 'parade of heroes' held at the Superloop Adelaide 500, alongside other emergency services.
caption: Aerial image of Kangaroo Island, South Australia during the 2019–2020 Australian bushfire season
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