Join up urges emergency servies volunteer
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Rubyah Haouchar knows all about extreme weather after volunteering at the Black Saturday bushfires with the State Emergency Services.

"It was fairly full on, but it's what we do," she says.

The 26 year old is not inspiring other peope to join the emergency services.

The Maidstone resident is one of five national "Extreme Weather Heroes", working on a project run my environmental organisation Green Cross Australa.

Its aim is to recuit 500 000 young people over the next five years, targeting its potential members using social networking websites including Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube.

"Our emergency sercie volunteers are aging and memebrs are going to start leaving. We need to get more young people to join up and thake their place," Ms Haouchar said.

She said there would be more need for emergency services in the future because of climate change. "Climate change is linked with extreme weather events like bushfires. There are going to be more intense bushfires so we need more volunteers."

Ms Haouchar started volunteering with the Footscray SES Unit when she was 21 and has risen up the ranks to the role of the unit's acting controller, while also studying at university and working as a forensic technician.

"At this age when you are going to school or uni, you don't really pick up any life skills. The SES give you that practical experience, " she says. "You probably never need to use sand-bagging - but it might come in handy eventaully!"

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