Rural Firefighting News

with Tony Belton

Primex - a Rural Fire Service perspective

The Rural Fire Service, for many years, has had a community education display at Primex. And this year was no exception.

A large truck (specially designed to travel the State as a mobile community education display) set up on site created an excellent static display. There were interactive computer screens for children, as well as show bags full of safety information. There was a great selection of local photographs of recent fires, and a very dramatic video of last years Evans Head fire.

A new addition was an information desk, where an officer answered any queries regarding the Rural Fire Service's role in the processing of development applications. This proved to be very popular - with people being able to view their properties on a computer screen using the latest mapping software.

Across the road, RFS crews ran hourly live demonstrations. Highly trained volunteers rescued a casualty from a burning car. Also, the safe use of a fire blanket on a kitchen fat fire was demonstrated.

At one stage, a truck had to be sent from Primex under lights and sirens, to assist at a house fire down the road!! All in all a very successful three days.

At present the situation with burning off is to exercise caution. The cold frosty weather, coupled with the total lack of rain over the previous months, is creating some problems for our local Brigades.

If you are contemplating any type of hazard reduction activity, notify your neighbours, so they don't think it is an uncontained fire, and notify your local Brigade and Fire Control Centre 24 hours prior. Ensure you comply with any other requirements.

Future articles will cover preparing your property before the bushfire danger season and smoke detectors.

If you have any queries, check out the Rural Fire Service web site at www.bushfire.nsw.gov.au or contact your local Fire Control Centre listed in the Yellow pages under Rural Fire Service.