Weekly Newsletter - 18th December 2019

Online copy

Date: 14th December - 21st December

• First Call: Crew D
• Second Call: Crew C

Date: 21st December - 28th December

• First Call: Crew A
• Second Call: Crew D

Provided relief crew for Darlington at the Yanchep incident. Sawyers Valley members crewed the Darlington 1.4 overnight. This was the Brigade's first deployment to Yanchep.

Attended by Chad, Dave R., Dave W., and Nick O.

Turned out to assist Chidlow at a grass fire in Bailup. Unfortunately the 1.4 suffered a fault and had to be stood down without taking part in the incident.

Attended by Keith, Michelle, and Warren.

Called to assist Midland FRS at a grass fire in Eden Hill. Sawyers Valley were deployed to this incident so far out of our area because all other more local resources were already committed to the Yanchep fire.

Attended by Adrian, Nick O., and Warren.

Sawyers Valley Brigade fielded a further six crews to this fire, totalling 132 personnel-hours across three days. Mundaring VFRS and Stoneville VBFB also supplied personnel to join our crews. The Sawyers Valley 1.4 operated on the fire ground for 48 hours. In addition to fire ground activities, a number of Brigade members also assisted by organising food and welfare, ice, drinks, and by transporting the crew and 1.4 back to the station Monday morning.

Many thanks to the Mundaring SES unit for providing transport for crews to and from the incident. This allowed the appliance to remain at the fire ground, reduced change over times, and removed the need for fatigued members to drive back to the station at the end of a shift.

Attended by: Ben M. (plus transport), Chad, Colin, Cory (Mundaring VFRS), Danika (twice), Dave R. (twice plus transport), Dave S. (twice), Dave Wh. (twice), Dave We (twice), Keith, Leone (Mundaring VFRS), Michelle, Niamh (Mundaring VFRS), Rob (twice), Sean (Mundaring VFRS), Shaun (first fire!), and Stephen (Stoneville VBFB).

Called to report of smoke near Wooroloo Prison. Determined to be dust from machinery.

Attended by Danika, and Dave R.

Turned out to report of mulch fire in Sawyers Valley, near the service station. Found 12sqm fire, already extinguished.

Attended by Keith, and Michelle.

Turned out to report of car fire which had spread to nearby bush, Great Eastern Highway near Old Northam Rd. Found a Nissan Patrol which had suffered a diesel runaway, but was extinguished by the driver. No further action taken.

Attended by Keith, and Warren.

As the holiday season rapidly approaches, please make sure that your team leaders are aware of your availability, particularly for Christmas Day and New Years Eve. Depending on the weather, a roster maybe created to ensure the Brigade will have sufficient coverage throughout the day as well as provide members an opportunity to relax. Please also be aware that standard alcohol policy applies; if you are planning on being available, plan not to drink.

As always, keep your availability up to date in BART.

Once again, many thanks to everyone involved with Sawyers Valley's response to the Yanchep fire. The effort was well coordinated, and aside from a small altercation with a tree, incident free.

A debrief for the incident will be conducted Saturday morning, following the vehicle checks.

Unfortunately, it would be naive to expect that this is the only campaign fire we will see this season. Temperatures are expected to rise as we head towards Christmas, and conditions are unlikely to improve until the Indian Ocean Dipole weakens early next year. Please continue to factor the weather forecast into your daily plans, and make yourselves available for both local incidents and out-of-area deployments wherever possible.

Kristi Milana, Volunteer Liaison Officer with DFES, is seeking feedback and experiences from volunteers who attended the Yanchep fire. They are particularly interested in hear from “on the ground vollies”, whether they were fire fighting, acting behind the scenes, or participating in other roles.

If you are interested in sharing your story, please contact Kristi.

• General Circular 190/2019 - Coming 6 January 2020 eAcademy 2.0 and Volunteer Training Programs
• Operational Circular 79/2019 - Interstate Deployment Suspended

No updates.

The Brigade Santa Run will be going ahead on Sunday the 22nd of December. The convoy will leave the station at 08:00, returning by 11:00. Santa will be riding the 1.4, driven by John L., and Dave Wh., followed by the Austin driven by Keith and Vicki.

Assistance is required on Saturday morning to decorate the Austin and make final preparations.

The 1.4 will remain operational during the run, so crews must carry full PPE.

At the last General Meeting, the date for the Brigade's Annual Christmas Function was set for Saturday the 28th of December. Starting at 17:30, a BBQ will be laid on by the Brigade. Please bring either a salad or dessert.

RSVP to Jen by Monday the 23rd of December.

• Saturday 21st - Training: Yanchep Debrief
• Sunday 22nd - Santa Run

• ABC News: Homes believed lost in NSW 'mega blaze' as firefighters tackle 70-metre flames in windy conditions
• The Conversation: Australia needs a national crisis plan, and not just for bushfires
• ABC News: NSW RFS fears Blue Mountains bushfire could hit power station, coal mine
• ABC News: WA bushfire emergency in Mogumber forces 12-year-old boy to flee in car with dog as farm threatened
• ABC News: Muslim mates 'adopted' by small community, after making 10-hour round trips to cook for bushfire victims
• Perth Now: WA’s bushfire emergency eases as string of fires including Yanchep blaze downgraded
• AVBFB Newsletter: 17th December 2019