Despite marking the end of one of the quietest bush fire seasons, the last couple of months Fire Brigade have very busy with many of our members deployed to support flood recovery operations across the state.
FROM FIRES TO FLOODS
Fires or floods we will be there to assist. Last month our members traded in their firefighting boots for gumboots to work alongside the SES, help communities clean up, start the recovery process from the widespread flooding that occurred.
We had members assist in both out of area deployments to Port Macquarie (assisting residents alongside the Australian Defence Force and Fire Rescue NSW) and more locally in the Wisemans Ferry with fellow RFS crews. Our brigade members were deployed for around a week assisting with the clean-up efforts including removing damaged furniture from residences and hosing down and removing mud.
One of our members, Al McIntosh, recounted the scenes that awaited them when they arrived at Wiseman’s ferry.
The day began with a safety briefing as debris and mud left behind by flood waters is often contaminated, crews were then given gumboots, gloves, shovels and squeegees (like a broom with a rubber blade), sunscreen and snack packs.
Our crew worked along Wiseman’s Ferry Road and were met with scenes of devastation and heartache. Houses had been stripped of impacted belongings and the roads were lined with mud, up to 30cm deep across lawns and yards.
The water level had reached over one to two meters high in some houses. Throughout the day crews helped people empty their houses of damaged belongings, pushed and shovelled mud out of houses and hosed them down both inside and out.
It was a physically and emotionally challenging day and just the beginning of the recovery process for these communities.
Recovery efforts can be challenging both physically and emotionally. Thank you to our members for going the extra mile and for being thoughtful when helping communities with recovery.
NATIONAL YOUTH WEEK
April 16 to 24 was National Youth Week with the theme ‘coming together more than ever’ – what an appropriate theme for the year that has been. Dural is proud to have a strong cohort of young members ranging from crew leaders to newly qualified firefighters.
They certainly know what it is to come together and they contribute to all aspects of Dural brigade.
We thank all of them for their contributions.
DURAL RFS IS RECRUITING – READY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE AS A NSW RFS VOLUNTEER?
There are many reasons to join the NSW RFS. You may want to protect your families, your friends, your home and your community. If you would like to join us please complete the application on the RFS website. https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/volunteer/Join-the-NSW-RFS
Fire Brigade, Fire Brigade
