Excellent story from Victoria, but we have these towers here in WA too, and the same dedicated people sitting at the top of them day in day out.
Jobs for loners: Life as 'the smoke alarms of the state'
abc.net.au
Perched high in the air, fire spotters dotted throughout the bush can pinpoint a wisp of smoke with astonishing accuracy — down to 50 metres — keeping safe a population that doesn't even know they are there.
I want this job! I'm sick of Uni students complaining! 😝 Does Matteos do delivery out there?
Ro Villa
This morning the Brigade visited the Kanyana Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in Carmel, to familiarise crews with on-site bushfire protection measures and evacuation procedures, and to provide bushfire risk mitigation advice. About 40 volunteer firefighters toured the site and interacted with Kanyana staff and residents (as seen below).
Kanyana is an important wildlife rehab centre. It takes injured native animals from all over the state and nurses them back to health before release back into the wild, and it provides valuable training for Murdoch University veterinary students. Like the Brigade it is volunteer run, and it is a valuable part of the local community, worth protecting. For more info go here: www.kanyanawildlife.org.au/
Thanks to everyone who came down today and said hi, grabbed a snag, made a donation and especially those who put their names down for our recruiting information night!
If you are thinking of joining us, there is still time to express your interest. Click on the "Join Us" link on our website and we'll get the paperwork started ahead of the info night this Monday (February 12th), at 7:30pm at our Fire Station.
www.kalamundabfb.org.au/join-us/
Kalamunda Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade are recruiting at Bunnings Kalamunda today till 3:30pm. Come down for a snag and to sign up or find out more about the Brigade from some of our members
We are now recruiting. Sign up to our information night on February 12th at 7:30pm.
Join Us – Kalamunda Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade
kalamundabfb.org.au
After a busy week, we started the day by unloading every single piece of equipment from all of our appliances. ✅Checked. ✅Tested. ✅ Cleaned. ✅ Returned to its home.
Wish I could be there sounds like you guys have had a really busy month while I'm setting myself up and beautiful Broome
👏🏼👏🏼 awesome! Did you find a rogue mobile phone lost in 2012?
Thats a lot of stuff
Would suck if the pager went off throw everything back in, in a hurry. Good job guys and girls.
How was breakfast 🍳
Thanks for all you do❤️
Residents near last night's fire in Gooseberry Hill and Maida Vale would have received a message from the Emergency Alert system.
These messages are sent to mobile phones in the alert area. They are not used lightly.
If you receive the message, it almost certainly applies to you. Do not assume "it's miles away from me and travelling in the opposite direction anyway". Last night's fire was moving fast in BOTH a westerly direction due to the wind AND in an easterly direction because of the topography. It was in difficult to access terrain.
Do not be complacent.
1. Read the message carefully. You may not be told to evacuate, you may just be told to seek shelter and prepare.
2. Be informed. Visit EmergencyWA (www.emergency.wa.gov.au) or Call 13 33 37 for more information.
3. Listen to local radio for updates (AM Radio - ABC 720kHz)
www.dfes.wa.gov.au/safetyinformation/warningsystems/pages/emergencyalert.aspx
Department of Fire and Emergency Services WA | City of Kalamunda | Darlington Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade | Glen Forrest Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade
Here are the weather conditions as recorded at Gooseberry Hill while the fire was burning. The fire shape can be explained by the winds, which were blowing from a north-easterly direction, pushing the fire towards the corner of Gooseberry Hill and Watsonia Roads. Luckily the fire partly burnt into an area of low fuel on the south side, the result of a fire in 2015, which slowed it down and helped firefighters get a handle on it. But it could have been quite problematic for residents on the south side of Gooseberry Hill Road if it wasn't for some high quality firefighting
To illustrate, here is a map of the fire. Watsonia Rd to the left (West) and Gooseberry Hill Rd to the bottom (South)
We are less than 2km from there next to mundy park never got one...I would think ember attack is still possible at that distance?
Thanks for the advice. In the situation we faced last night and on many nights with strong winds, if it is middle of the night and a fire breaks out, if we aren’t online or on our phones what would the plan be for firies to alert for evacuations? Assuming it’s 3am and many are asleep that is. Do we have an evacuation siren on a vehicle in the area or is it a doorknock situation? So difficult with our chaotic winds at times
How does this system work? I didn’t get this message yet people one street further away got it. Thanks
Interesting though that alerts are sent out to mobiles given on their last known location U can’t actually register your mob to a certain area www.emergencyalert.gov.au/frequently-asked-questions/how-does-it-work/1-do-i-need-to-sign-up-.html
I’m disappointed that the City of Kalamunda alerts no longer seem to be active....these were reasonably reliable for our district for fire, severe weather and fire bans....they tell me they are still in use but nothing has been remarkable since October 2017!! I’ll swap to this device because even Emergency AUS didn’t alert this one!
It’s very confusing as to how the alert messages work as we never received one despite meeting the criteria outlined 😕
Stu is it all ok there. Just saw this
Wtf again
Thank you for the amazing job you all do to keep us all safe, we were in the evacuation zone the other day and was so relieved to hear our firefighters got it under control 🙌🏼
Thank you for the message. Much appreciated.
Well done everyone who volunteered. Thank you.
Onya KVBFB, you guys do an awesome job 👏🏼
Maybe share as well to our local neighbourhood watch pages?
Hope there upgraded as we never received any notification on our mobile in the waroona fires .....which burnt within 25mtrs of our home
👍🏼
Tracey Kearyy xx
Nina Kane 😮
Hazel Toutounji
Mitchell Fink
Linda Hackett
Gail Woodward
Tracey Bebb Hischar
Maria Whalen
The Brigade is having its annual recruitment drive and so if you have ever wanted to be a volunteer Bushfire Brigade firefighter, now is the time to express your interest. We only recruit once per year so even if you aren't sure, come along to our information night on Monday February 12th, at 7:30pm, at our Fire Station.
Some extra info:
The Brigade has members of all ages, genders and backgrounds we'll take anyone so long as you are keen. However, you have to be a minimum of 16 years old, be able to pass a medical, simple annual fitness text, and police clearance. You also have to live within the boundaries of the City of Kalamunda. If you don't want to be a front line firefighter, our Incident Support team will welcome you as well.
You also won't get to go to fires straight away. There is extensive training and a minimum probationary period of six months before we let you near a real incident. The intention is that we recruit you in February, and then spend the year training you so you are ready to go for the next fire season, starting November/December. During the year you will have to complete a weekend of basic training, followed by another 30 hours of specific training sessions throughout the year (held on Sunday mornings), and you also have to attend ten hazard reduction burns to get you used to fire. So we only want people who think they genuinely have the time to commit to this, and who also have the support of their families. We also want people who are thinking of being in the Brigade for at least three or four years, to make it worth all the time we spend training you.
Being a volunteer firefighter is not glamorous - it is hard, hot, dirty, dangerous, and generally thankless work. You spend much more time training than you do fighting fires, and when you do go to fires they are often at 2am just after you have gone to bed. But you also get to be a member of a team, make a bunch of great new friends, learn new skills, and get to do something fantastic for your community.
Still interested? Click on the "Join Us" link on our website and we'll get the paperwork started, and then come along to the info night on the 12th.
www.kalamundabfb.org.au/join-us/
I just want to say THANK YOU for all you do to keep the community safe!
Rebecca Cornwall maybe trist might like this. They have support roles etc. Doesn't have to be frontline.
Amber Cashmore please tag Conall in this. 😃
On behalf of Upper Chittering B.F.B good luck with your recruiting
Karen O'Neill maybe I could 😊
Sara Lovell 🙂
Ronald Amour Michael Langham
Sam Tierney
Mellissa
Quentin Stoffels?
Macey Snares
Kieren Norris
Corey Butterfield
Chris Bellamy
Harley Adriaens
The Brigade deployed a number of resources to this fire and it should be noted that it wasn't the rain that stopped it, but the fact that the fire ran into low fuel due to a hazard reduction burn carried out in 2015.
Parks and Wildlife, Western Australia
This vision was filmed on the fire ground as Parks and Wildlife Service, Volunteer Bushfire Brigades and Department of Fire and Emergency Services WA crews put in a massive effort to suppress the Sawyers Valley bushfire. THANK YOU to everyone who helped!
Stephen Dawson MLC, Labor Member for Mining & Pastoral
Well done Guys you guys are worth your weight Gold. Thanks for servicing our community and for all you do
Thankyou for all your tireless work in that 24 hour period but also being so constructive in getting these prescribed burns done. It made all the difference to us not having to evacuate in the end. So a huge thankyou!! 😘
Fab job again!
A brilliant job done by all
Aaron Presley Miles
Stay safe. You do an awesome job.
Stay safe Lorraine Kinsey and crew 👏👏👏
Brad Coleman