CFS News

We have now made it to the middle of the year and I suspect the next half will pass even quicker – amazing where time goes!

The Brigade has been relatively quiet over the last couple of months, with no significant issues for us to deal with in our area. This is a good thing as a quiet life getting on with things we enjoy is a great way to be.

Looking at last year’s statistics the top reasons we were responded were -  

• Severe weather/natural disasters (47%),

• Structure fires (7%)

• Vehicle accidents (5%) 

Winter is a time when all of these issues have an increased likelihood, so it is worthwhile taking a moment to consider these situations, prepare your properties and talk to family members.

We have been using our training time recently to practice, study and prepare for structure fires. This term is used for a fire in any type of structure – be it house, shed, stable or commercial building. Although we are aware there will be many variables, we need to follow a reasonably non-negotiable set of procedures for these events.

You can help by considering the following:

• is there enough clearance for a CFS appliance to gain access to your property? We will need a width clearance of three to four meters and will be stopped or severely slowed down if there are low overhanging branches to deal with.
• If you have any stored chemicals, fuel, gas bottles, ammunition or other potential hazards, consider either relocating or eliminating them altogether if no longer needed.
• We may be operating at night, so any easy to see notification signs will assist us greatly.
• We may be looking for a water source (particularly anywhere south of Cherry Gardens Rd due to no water mains available) so identifying any tanks, pools, and dams will help. We are able to quickly pump from these sources using onboard portable pumps if required. 
• Another way to assist is good information as many times the notification we receive from Adelaide Fire varies from the actual situation. Each event will have an Incident Controller who is identifiable by wearing an appropriately named tabard and they will be coordinating and managing the entire operation.  It is important that any relevant information is passed onto this person quickly as it could have a major bearing on the actions we take. This would include information such as the number people inside the structure, what hazards we may find, entry and exit points, power box location and pets to name a few. We can deal with any and all of these issues independently but as time is of extreme importance anything that can assist will have us going to work sooner.  

A house/shed/structure fire is no doubt something that no one wants to happen. Please keep in mind the above points and let’s do all we can to avoid them.

To finish this month, we are looking at signage for the front of the newly painted station – it’s going to look fantastic when completed!

Cheers