Funding to enhance disaster resilience - through supporting emergency service volunteers and developing their skills - was announced this week.
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NSW Community Resilience Innovation Programs (CRIP) are receiving $1.4 million and the Emergency Volunteer Support Scheme (EVSS) is getting $630,000.
The Dubbo and Barwon electorates will benefit from $100,000 CRIP funding, which will go towards an initiative to develop effective leaders amongst local volunteers.
The EVSS funding will promote volunteer agencies to boost the number of volunteers and develop their practical skills.
Member for Dubbo Dugald Saunders, in Mudgee today, said that the funding will allow volunteers to develop their skills during a crisis.
"Part of it is that the people who are facing these difficult and life-threatening situations are recognised as needing some support along the way," he said.
"We also recognise that very often they're the leaders of our community. So we need to be giving them both resilience and leadership training.
"It's a way of giving them some support that they might not otherwise have. We know we've go some of the best firefighting equipment in the world - in the case of the RFS - but we also need to look after the people.
"And that's what this program is about and I think there'll be additional funding for this in coming years, to make sure that people will continue to build on the skills that they're learning."
Mr Saunders - who recently honoured 36 Cudgegong District RFS volunteers with nearly a millennium of combined service to the organisation - said that it's important to support those who dedicate so much.
"We've got the largest volunteer firefighting service in the world, it's over 70,000, and I've been lucky enough to be part of some fantastic long service medal presentations including with the Cudgegong District," he said.
"And when you're meeting someone like Malcolm Roth - who's done over 67 years of service as a volunteer firefighter - you see that people who join young and remain with the RFS and organisations like the SES and VRA essentially for life.
"So this is a way of saying 'we've got your back' with support around training and mental health."
Minister for Police and Emergency Services, David Elliott, made the announcement of funding in Dubbo on Tuesday.
"As I travel across the State like I am today, I'm always humbled by the great number of volunteers who are willing to put themselves in harm's way to protect their communities when called on. It is important we give back to them." he said
