September 2011
Wet weather is still with us and is causing problems with any planned hazard reductions and pile burns with most areas to wet to take our trucks off the road for danger of getting bogged.
The long range forecast at this stage is for a wetter than normal spring so I encourage landholders to make the most of any opportunities to clean up any rubbish from the strong winds we had in the last two months.
As we all know this can change quickly and once the weather warms up there will be a lot of new growth in the bush and surrounding areas that as it dry’s off in Summer will turn into combustible fuel.
Only the one call out this month to a single vehicle car accident that had crashed into a power pole at the top of the town near the rectory at approx. 12.30 am in the morning, which resulted in the local driver being transported to hospital for treatment.
The impact of the car snapped the pole off approx 1.5 m above the ground which blacked out most of the valley for some time.
This is the second time in several years this same power pole has been snapped off as the result of an accident.
Fallen power lines were lying around the vehicle and across Moss Vale Rd.
This was an extremely dangerous situation not only for the driver but also local residents and passers by who rushed to the scene after hearing the noise of the impact and seeing the flash as the power lines shorted out.
Thanks must be given to these local residents who put themselves in danger to assist the injured driver but unfortunately there was reports of some problems between friends of the driver and locals rendering assistance. T
his accident is still being investigated by the police service.
The danger of fallen power lines was highlighted in last month's article and the fact that even though they appear dead they should be treated as live until the Integral repair crews advise that they have been isolated.
Power lines can be rerouted a number of different ways in Kangaroo Valley from a central remote location as they try to reconnect the power to the grid and a line that appears to be dead can suddenly be alive with no warning
This is the second month in a row that an item that has been advised about in the previous months article has occured shortly afterwards so perhaps I should keep quite this month
However I did witness a dangerous situation just the other weekend as I was pulled up waiting for a 4wd towing a trailer to cross the Hampden bridge.
I noticed what appeared to be a cloud of smoke coming from the trailer and thinking that he may have had a problem with the trailers brakes, as it reached the very middle of the bridge where the deck had been removed the cloud increased dramatically in size causing the driver to stop and jump out of his car and race back to the trailer.
What appeared to be smoke was in fact a cloud of LPG gas escaping from a large house sized gas bottle rolling around loose in the trailer.
Luckily there was no spark from the car exhaust or trailer electrics to cause an explosion or else the bridge repairs may have been even more extensive than planned.
After turning the valve off the driver was able to continue on.
So this months tip is to ensure that any loads are secure to avoid problems with items falling out onto the road or becoming a deadly missile in the event of a sudden stop ar an accident
Hopefully I will not be writing about this again next month
At this stage the fire danger season is still likely to commence in the Shoalhaven from the 1st of September which means after this date that you will need to get a permit from one of the permit officers in the Valley brigade to conduct any hazard reduction burns or pile burns that are not used for cooking or heating purposes in a properly constructed campfire
Contact either
David Smart 0427 651718 44651214
Keith Nelson 0408 273057
Bill Chittick 0400 873012
Remember these people are all volunteers and may not be immediately available to issue your permit so try to give as much notice as possible
The cost of running their private vehicles to check your planned burnoff also comes out of their pocket with no compensation for the time or expense.
Permits are issued free of charge but a small donation to the brigade is always appreciated to assist with on-going expenses.
They can be issued for a period of up to three weeks to give you time to conduct your burn when the weather is suitable.
Training nights are still the 1st and 3rd Wednesday night from 6 p.m. at the station
If interested in joining please call down and introduce yourself as we are still desperately looking for new members to join our ranks
Open to all over the age of 16 and would particularly encourage some of our males and females around the Valley to join and learn some new skills.
Why not challenge
your friends to join up