He still remembers the first incident he attended where someone had tragically passed away due to an electrical shock.

"As a sparkie (electrician) that hit pretty close to home," Mr Witchard said.

However the rescue officer said the rewarding jobs and the people he works closely with within the service has kept him coming back.

"Enjoying the time while being out helping the community is one of the big reasons why I'm still here," he said.

Mr Witchard believes with any harrowing circumstance there's always a rewarding one to weigh it out.

Being in the service allows members to develop a love for the natural environment and some of the locations they are called to.

"Taking that half a second just to appreciate the moment where I'm actually abseiling off the front of the Lighthouse over the pounding surf," he said.

"It's pretty cool."

Mr Witchard grew up in Port Macquarie and was a member of the scouts throughout his childhood before deciding to join the Port Macquarie NSW SES unit.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic the NSW SES has adapted accordingly to continue to operate.

Online training has helped maintain contact with people who joined the organisation just before restrictions came into place.

Face to face training is gradually being reintroduced at the organisation's base, just in smaller groups.

The unit was split into two teams to ensure training could be facilitated for different levels of qualifications.

"One week one group is here and the other is offsite, so we're limiting (face to face) interaction still," Mr Witchard said.

Working with the COVID-19 pandemic means health and safety is still front of mind when it comes to carrying out rescues and attending emergencies.

"We're not putting ourselves at risk, we're not putting passer-bys at risk and any patients at risk," he said.

"If we're within each other's personal bubble of a metre and a half to two metres, our masks will be on."

A member from the unit will also wipe down the SES vehicle and any equipment to ensure sanitisation is carried out after attending an incident.

Mr Witchard said the support service through the NSW SES is not solely for members to access but also family members.

"Our partners, children or anyone else," he said.

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