CFS News

Winter has finally passed although the wet and windy weather will probably be upon us for a little while yet. The cooler weather has given the Cherry Gardens brigade the opportunity to concentrate on our non-bushfire related training.

Weather related callouts

At this time of year the majority of our callouts are weather related, such as attending to tree branches that are blocking roads or (hopefully) minor car accidents caused by slippery roads or poor visibility. In the case of fallen trees our training concentrates on safe and effective chainsaw handling as well as traffic management.

Traffic management & First Aid

For vehicle accidents we also train in traffic management as well as First Aid and safe working around an accident scene.

BA (Breathing Apparatus) training

As with any time of year, the winter months also bring the occasional house or shed fire and for this we concentrate on our BA (Breathing Apparatus) training. Those who are qualified to wear BA conduct simulated building entries, sometimes with fake smoke thrown in for good measure, while the rest of the brigade concentrates on the vital task of coordinating hose lines and ensuring a constant water supply.

Preparations for the coming fire season

As the evenings warm up our training will gradually shift towards preparing us for the coming fire season, which will be upon us before we know it. Usually we begin preparation for the fire season by inspecting the various fire tracks in our area and ensuring they are still accessible should they be needed. Every member of the brigade is also required to conduct burn-over drills before they are allowed onto the fire ground. A burn-over is where a fire has changed direction and threatens the safety of an appliance and its crew. The drill involves the crew quickly entering the vehicle, pulling down the heat reflective curtains, and activating the sprinklers which protect the vehicle and its occupants from radiant heat.

Thank you!

Recently members of the Cherry Gardens brigade attended the booth for the local bi-election to collect donations. As always, the members of our community showed their generosity and the money raised will now be used to purchase equipment which will help in performing our tasks. On behalf of all the brigade and Sturt Group we would like to extend our thanks to you all!

We have been pleased to see a steady stream of new members join our ranks over the last few months, both as firefighters and radio (comms) operators. We are still in need of new members though, so if you are interested or you would like to find out more head along to the station at 7.30pm on a Monday night.

We’d love to see you.