August 2009
This month is thought to be the quietest one on record.
There were no call outs or good intent calls.
Perhaps the work that the RTA has carried out on the mountain road surfaces is paying dividends with the reduction in car accidents that appears to be evident.
We also thank all our responsible KV residents for the lack of good intent or nuisance calls to
smoke sightings and legal burn offs.
Also thanks to the residents who have called our Captain to let him know when they are burning off and the location so that we are aware of it should be get a call from fire control
No permits are required for small burn offs until the start of September and we encourage you to carry out hazard reductions burns now as the fire season is drawing closer.
We ask that if you are planning a burn off you let your neighbours know and call Fire Control on 4424 4424 to advise the time and place the burn will occur.
Fire Control must be given 24 hours notice before you commence your burn off to minimise the “good intent calls” as the 000 calls are referred to Fire Control in the first instance.
Even training has been quiet over the cold, wet, winter months.
We did do a large pile burn out in front of Barrengarry House which may well be still smouldering as you read this.
With a number of hazard reductions planned over the next few months, we have a busy time ahead. For members needing to brush up on their training before summer, this is a
good time to do it. Burns are scheduled on our normal training nights and there may also be a need for some weekend burns to catch up the backlog. We train on Wednesday nights commencing at 6 pm but an earlier starting time may be necessary if we have a large burn scheduled. Members will be advised of any earlier starting times.
THE BIG NEWS IS - David Smart, Terry Rebbeck, Michael Gorman and Serg Gomez represented our brigade in the Navigation Shield – AND WON.
This is the premier rescue navigation event with competing teams representing all Emergency Services from NSW and also some from Victoria. These included teams from RFS, Ambulance Rescue, Police Rescue, Wilderness Rescue, SES, Armed Services, VRA and also bushwalking clubs etc - 95 teams all up.
The event was held in the lower Blue Mountains near Glenbrook not far from where a bushwalker was lost for 12 days at roughly the same time. It is a gruelling ten-hour orienteering event that involves finding markers located over a hundred sq km course in a preset time. The Valley team was the clear winner overall with a winning margin of one hundred and twenty points.This was the first time we had a team competing in the one-day event.
In previous years we have entered the gruelling thirty-hour event, with three wins, three seconds and a third place.
Due to lack of time and training this year we decided to take on the quicker paced one-day event against the young guns to see if we could compete. It was nice for the team to finish at 7.30 at night in time for a well-earned beer or glass of wine instead of walking all night.
Seems you can't beat experience and some old heads and gritty determination. Congratulations to our team for a job well done. We hope to have some pictures for the next edition.
Until next time, be fire wise. Cinderfella