WOW Day will be celebrated on Wednesday with the south-west donning a splash of orange to say "thank you" to all SES volunteers who generously give their time to help communities during emergencies.

Matt Hatfield, who joined the unit 13 years ago, said while it was nice to receive acknowledgement from the community, it was also important to recognise the family, friends and employers who "do their bit to help SES volunteers dump everything to attend emergencies at all times of the day".

"They play a huge role even though they don't wear the orange too," he said.

Mr Hatfield was invited to a training session by former Warrnambool SES unit controller Gerry Billings more than a decade ago.

It was a Tuesday night and he attended the unit's first session in its then-new facility at Walsh Road.

"That was my first training session and I haven't left yet," Mr Hatfield said.

He said it was the variety of activities and learnings that kept him around, as well as the people he's met along the way.

"It gives you a really different life perspective," he said.

A manager at a local supermarket, Mr Hatfield said he was grateful to have an understanding employer, as well as family who were always quick to help him with his three-year-old daughter Mia during call-outs.

Troy Litster, who works for Court Services Victoria, joined the Warrnambool SES unit four years ago.

He'd often hear his colleague Carly Hughson's pager going off at work and it sparked his interest.

He has since attended hundreds of incidents, including storm damage, searching for missing people and road accidents.

Mr Litster said he loved the training exercises and learning new skills that ranged from chainsaw operations to boat rescues and driving a truck.

And he doesn't even really mind the call-outs at 2am in Warrnambool's wintry conditions.

"If you can help someone out, there's always a bit of satisfaction," he said.

"And sometimes we go to leave a job and someone will thank us and you don't do it for that but it does go a long way."

WOW Day is a national day which recognises the dedication and support that SES volunteers give to the community, including assistance in search and rescues, storm damage, aerial searches, flood rescues and so much more.

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