The requirement of mandatory COVID jabs for SES volunteers across the state will not be an issue, according to the organisation's leader.
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Speaking during a visit to Warrnambool, Victorian SES chief executive officer Stephen Griffin said his staff was working closely with volunteers on the issue.
"We have 5000 volunteers, not all of them are active, some of them we don't know if they are going to be able to respond anyway," Mr Griffin said.
"But let's say there are 4500 who are ready and available, from that we're up to 4000 who are fully vaccinated, which is a very good percentage.
"For those who are unavailable through not having the vaccination, we are working through the issue with them.
"Whether they are vaccine hesitant or they're refusing to get the jab, we just have to work with them, but we have to do it sensitively, through some personal discussions."
During his visit to Warrnambool late last week, Mr Griffin visited the city's SES unit headquarters and spoke with a number of members.
The SES boasts strong units in both Warrnambool and Port Fairy.
Mr Griffin praised the work done by country units such as these two and believes there is a strong connection to the organisation's hierarchy.
"Our members in the country are generally very positive and good at giving feedback about the administration and support they need," Mr Griffin said.
"Over the last few years facilities have really improved and recruitment has been successful so numbers are healthy.
"A lot of work has been put into training and support and as a result these country units have a lot of highly skilled people, particularly in road crash rescue and search and rescue.
"They're very highly skilled and the accreditation and support for them is world class."
Earlier this year, the Port Fairy SES Unit received state government funding to build a new home. This came after many years of lobbying for the facility upgrade.
Mr Griffin said having high quality environments for volunteers was vital.
"I think we've seen some really good wins down here, particularly at Port Fairy where there was certainly an issue," Mr Griffin said.
"We are putting in budget bids to the state government for SES upgrades all the time and there has been $15 million spent on units across the state in the last three years and $20 million on special projects.
"We are making progress and growing our resources and I think our members can see that happening."
