Captains message
In a continuing pattern of wet weather and only a few call outs, members have been busy with the training of new members, whilst other members have been busy upgrading their skills taking on Advanced Firefighting courses.
We have been involved in several community service events, providing drivers and bus transport for Upper River residents to attend community meetings. As a council initiative, we were involved in welfare checks of Upper River residents post the landslip, dispatching the RFS Motorcycle Strikeforce Teams. The Brigade also provided transportation and lunch at the fire station for approx. 30 residents for the workshop and field day run recently by the Nature Conservation Council.
As usual, the brigade was honoured to be an integral part of the Anzac Day parade, providing trucks and members to block the roads to ensure safety of the large crowd.
As captain I was asked to be involved at the community gathering organised by the KVCCB to provide some details of the RFS and the emergency coverage to all areas of Kangaroo Valley, in particular to the Upper Kangaroo River residents during the ongoing road closures. Luckily the local brigade is very self-sufficient with trucks and equipment and can handle most tasks, as well as having a pre-positioned light tanker unit near to the Upper River Hall in case of emergencies.
If ever you have thought of joining the local RFS brigade, there is a wide scope and variety of tasks that you may be challenged with, and numerous ways that you can help and give back to your community, even if front line firefighting may not be for you.
Apply online at https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/volunteer/join-the-nsw-rfs.
I am always happy to have a chat to new interested members to show you what you can offer. We are hoping to close the gender gap and target some more of our very capable women in the valley to join our team.
Dusty Smart
Incident calls
Motor Vehicle Accident – Merchants Road: the Brigade responded to this accident where persons were trapped in their vehicle, which is probably the most serious brigade incident call considering fire could become an element to manage. All three Kangaroo Valley trucks attended the scene where we assisted NSW Ambulance, NSW police, NSW Fire and Rescue, the SES and the RMS as the fire agency. A 4WD impacted with a semi-trailer with both occupants of the 4WD having to be cut out of the vehicle. Two occupants were successfully freed and transported to hospital. The KV Brigade remained on scene to assisted with the oil and fuel clean up.
There were two call outs in relation to trees down across roads:
1st call was while members were engaged in driver training, where they came across a dangerous tree leaning across Mt Scanzi Road. They took the opportunity to fall the tree under controlled conditions to make the road safe.
2nd call was at approx. 2am. This turned into three separate calls for trees down across roads and powerlines on Mt Scanzi Road and Moss Vale Road. Crews removed the trees once it was confirmed the power was not live to the powerlines.
Pile burns and burning off
The Fire Permit season finished on 31 March until 1 September; however, there is a process that still needs to be adhered to prior to burning off:
1. You must notify the NSW RFS at least 24 Hours before you light the fire. (See below)
2. You must advise your immediate neighbours at least 24 hours before you light the fire.
3. You must not light the fire if a Fire Danger Rating is VERY HIGH or above
4. At least one responsible person must be present from the time the fire is lit until it is extinguished.
5. Check the upcoming weather conditions as the pile may continue to smoulder for several days.
6. If you believe that you cannot safely control the fire once it has been lit, dial 000.
Ways to notify the NSW RFS
- ONLINE: Online at www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/notify.
- PHONE: Shoalhaven FCC on 4424 4424 between 9am and 3pm Monday to Friday.
If you have concerns about doing this yourself, please contact the KV Fire Brigade and we can possibly assist you with your pile burn during a training session or check your site for you.
Compiled and edited by Tracey Basman
KV Brigade Secretary
