SES volunteers should not be treated as free plumbers, arborists and roof repairers, says Moreton Bay Regional SES Unit local controller Henk van den Ende.

As the wetr weather and cyclones continue to menace Northern Queensland, now is the time to check your roofs for leaks and clear the gutters, he warned.



Mr van den Ende said the unit's members were becoming increasingly frustrated at responding to trivial call-outs where the problems were easily preventable or should be fixed by the homeowner, not SES volunteers.



``Our key message is clean your gutters, clean your roof off,'' he said. ``If you've got a pre-existing leak, get a plumber or a roofer to fix it.''



Responding to a call-out could take up to four hours by the time the team assembled, responded and returned home, he said.



Mr van den Ende urged people to only call the SES in emergencies where there was significant damage to houses from fallen trees or if large volumes of water were entering a house.

``We're not white-washing everybody, but you may be asked to fix it yourself.''

In life-threatening emergencies, phone 000. For SES, phone 132500