Firefighting strike teams from Rural Fire Service brigades in the Narooma area have fought fires around NSW for the past 10 days.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Group officer South Mick Anderson said firefighters from the Narooma, Dalmeny, Bodalla and Potato Point RFS brigades attended fires at Coonabarabran, Leadville and Cassilis, being active on the fire grounds protecting property and fighting bush and grass fires.
Then on Friday, RFS strike teams were rushed up to the Carwoola bushfire fireground east of Queanbeyan. The Narooma Fire and Rescue NSW brigade also had two firefighters on standby ready to attend.
The good news is that all the local firefighters are back home safe.
“The crews have been all over the the place,” Mr Anderson said. “The trucks went up with them and they did crew changes.”
The strike teams were composite crews from different stations assigned to various trucks, which changed up the skill sets was essentially like training in action, which “worked very well,” he said.
The travelling strike teams were lead by Stan Towers and Ritchey Sealey, and all members did a magnificent job, he said. In their absence, Group South 3 officer Bruce Allen was in charge in case anything flared up in the local area.
Speaking of the local bushfire situation, Mr Anderson warned Narooma area residents not to be complacent despite the recent rainfall.
“Our fuel load is very high and we are not out of the woods yet,” he said. “It’s good to warn your readers not to be complacent as it only takes a few good days of hot weather and that moisture will be null and void.”
The local RFS brigades were also keen to do significant hazard reduction burns at Narooma and Dalmeny at the bush and urban interface and also a big block at Bodalla, as well as Eurobodalla Road.
Plans for burns last year at Dalmeny were in place last winter but had to be postponed after three days of heavy rain.
“Hopefully everything goes to plan this year, the weather cooperates and then local residents should be prepared to see smoke around the area as soon as the bushfire danger period is over,” Mr Anderson said.
The RFS would do letterbox drops in the area and put out warning messages in the media in the lead up to any hazard reduction burns.
As always the local RFS brigades were always recruiting and looking for new members and anyone interested in a variety of roles is encouraged to stop by their local station for a chat.
“The best protection for your own property is to have the proper knowledge and the best way to do to that is to join your local RFS brigade,” he said.