Corowa SES has called on Federation Council to assist with finding a new location or risk no longer being available to service the 12,000 people in the southern Federation LGA.

As of April 2026, the unit is operating out of a residential garage and, now with 14 trained members, has outgrown its current co-location with VRA Rescue NSW.

NSW SES has formally requested a designated facility in Corowa to house assets, fleet, and conduct training, prompted by growing membership and the need for a strong community support capability following flood events like the one in January 2022.

Local RFS, CFA, VRA and SES units came together last Wednesday for a joint training night held at the Corowa aerodrome, demonstrating that they already work together harmoniously and that the airport is an ideal location for a shared facility.

RFS Federation Zone Group Captain Greyd’n Davis said it was great to see all the different uniforms working together, and the joint training sessions allowed officers to familiarise with each other before emergencies happened.

“These nights are important for the people that volunteer, to see the mix of uniforms,” Capt Davis said.

“But there's no point having four different setups in four different parts of town.

“Working out of separate locations is inefficient, and we all work as one anyway, so why shouldn't we be in one spot?

“Get us all together where we can work out of the one room and get the right information together in one place.

“There’s plenty of space out here and we’re out of town, so we’re not going to wake up the neighbours.”

Councilors voted unanimously last week to support the option to continue working with the SES to co-locate with Federation RFS at Corowa Aerodrome.

Federation Council acknowledged that grant funding would be needed for construction of a new storage facility, and the shared use of the training office facilities would need to be negotiated.

Councilors David Harrison and David Bott spoke in favour of the option, saying that moving to the aerodrome and combining the services in one spot would be a great outcome.

“It’s not lost on me that this is listed at item 9-1-1,” Cr Harrison said.

“Corowa is in a unique situation with an active VRA in town, which is currently sharing a facility with the SES.

“It’s a great problem for our town to have, where both groups are very active and outgrowing the facility they’re in.

“You only need to go to one of their meetings to see that training space is vital.”

Federation Council currently provides a facility for the SES in Urana and has sought clarification on whether they are obligated to provide a second facility in Corowa.

The report stated the financial position had no current allocation for a new facility, construction or major upgrades, and this position was not in the 10-year Long Term Financial Plan, favouring a shared arrangement at the aerodrome.

The proposal suggests expanding the site into an Emergency Services Hub that could include Federation RFS, Corowa SES and a future Ambulance site, linked to potential State or Federal funding for disaster risk reduction.

An SES review found the RFS airport site feasible for future construction, pending funding.

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Sunday, 20th July 2031

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