WICEN NSW is always looking for new members who are willing to assist the community with its communication needs. WICEN operates on both amateur and commercial frequencies. An amateur radio licence is highly desirable and will give you the authority to operate on the amateur frequencies. It is not necessary to have portable radio communications equipment. If you have an interest in radio communications whatever your present qualifications or experience, WICEN would welcome your involvement.
As well as assisting other agencies during emergencies, WICEN also provides support communications for a number of community events throughout the year. The more members we have, the better able we are to serve the community. WICEN members enjoy the benefit of insurance cover during emergency events, training exercises, and field and radio room operations.
WICEN is a Specialist Squad of VRA Rescue NSW, which is the primary responder for Road Crash Rescue, General Land Rescue, Vertical Rescue and just about any type of specialist rescue encountered by emergency service personnel. VRA also includes other Specialist Squads such as Cave Rescue and NSW Ski Patrol. VRA is accredited by the Minister for Emergency Services through the NSW State Rescue Board. As such VRA and WICEN are governed by procedures and policies of the NSW Government.
There are a number of steps involved in joining WICEN NSW and the process can take up to six months. The first step to join WICEN NSW is to download the Application for Membership form. You will then need to read the attached VRA Service Standard 1.1–Code of Conduct and Ethics, and sign that you agree to the conditions listed on the Application for Membership. Your application needs to be signed by two current members of WICEN. If you do not know any members, please contact the Secretary. Then post or email to the addresses listed on the form.
After your Application for Membership information has been received, a “meet and greet” will be held. This will preferably be done face to face but can be organised online if necessary. Probationary (6 month) membership can then be granted and the annual membership (currently $20) will be due.
The next step involves completing a VRA Rescue NSW Member Application pack, submitting to a National Police check and providing a current Working with Children Check (WCC). This will involve providing various forms of ID for verification. Note: Copies of ID’s are not kept. Members are required to provide ID documents in person to a WICEN Committee Member or WICEN authorised Regional Member to verify identity.
VRA will then undertake the appropriate checks and you’ll be advised of the outcome and if successful be issued with a VRA SAP number (VRA/WICEN ID number). You then become a full Squad Support/Non-Operational member. This will entitle you to volunteer and be part of many of our Community Events where we provide radio communications.
Progression to Operational Status will require completion of a number of training modules and regular participation in our Community Events. The Committee and Event Commanders will review all individual requests before you become an Operational member.
WICEN has approximately 150 financial members, of which 40 are ‘Operational Members”. The remainder of the membership are Support/Non Operational. We acknowledge that the majority of our membership are Support Members. Fully Operational Membership comes with the responsibility of being available at short notice, spending time away from home and working in some very stressful situations, as were experienced during the 2019/2020 bushfires and previous Search & Rescue operations.
Download the application Form below(Adobe Acrobat format):
WICEN NSW Membership Form WICEN NSW Rules of Association WICEN NSW Privacy Policy