NSW SES opens $6.6 million emergency headquarters in Dubbo

The New South Wales State Emergency Service (SES) has opened a new $6.6 million headquarters in Dubbo, located in Blueridge Estate. The facility replaces the 60-year-old Bultje Street headquarters and serves as the hub for the Western Command, which oversees 49 percent of NSW, including areas such as Orange, Bathurst, Parkes, Forbes, Lithgow, Mudgee, and Dubbo.

The new site features a large warehouse designed to house high-clearance vehicles up to six metres tall, along with two training rooms and meeting rooms. A central component of the facility is the level 3 incident control centre, which can accommodate up to 50 specialists, including police and paramedic teams, to coordinate responses to floods, storms, earthquakes, and tsunamis.

Western Region Superintendent Ian Carlton noted that the centre is capable of running 24 hours a day. The facility will house public information sections to issue warnings via the Hazards Near Me app, operations staff to manage field responders, and planning and intelligence teams to coordinate with agencies like the Bureau of Meteorology.