Rotary District of NSW Emergency Services Community Awards (RESCA) is the only time all Emergency Services personnel, both paid and volunteer, are recognised in a combined awards program.
The Awards are open to all, Emergency Service Agency (ESA) Personnel stationed in NSW, serving in either a paid capacity or Volunteer:
- Fire and Rescue NSW
- Marine Rescue NSW
- Surf Life Saving NSW
- VRA Rescue NSW
- NSW Ambulance
- NSW Rural Fire Service
- NSW State Emergency Service
These awards were developed in 2009 by a few dedicated and passionate Rotarians in the Illawarra who recognised the value of not only our paid, but also our volunteer Emergency Services Personnel. A pilot was hosted by 9 Illawarra Clubs over 3 years, moving to a State Project in 2015.
The Project has enjoyed Vice Regal Patronage by the Governor of NSW since their inception.
In keeping with the Rotary’s motto of “Service Above Self”, RESCA acknowledges and celebrates the selfless Community Service of Emergency Services Personnel whilst also supporting and funding two important Rotary initiatives:
- Australian Rotary Health – PhD Research Scholarship investigating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Emergency Services Personnel
- Emergency and Disaster Preparedness training by a competitively selected Vocational Training Team connected with a developing country in the Asia/Pacific Region
RESCA is a community-nominated Awards, therefore, it is based on the reputation of the personnel from their local communities’ viewpoint. Up to four (4) Finalists will be selected from each ESA (can be paid or volunteer). One winner per ESA (i.e. Seven (7) Agencies/Category Awards) a total of 28 Finalists and two (2) overall winners (i.e one (1) Paid and one (1) Volunteer) who are announced at the Awards Dinner.
The two (2) winners at State level now progress to be judged together with their colleagues from each of the States/Territories.