The Brigade is conducting a burn today on Mitchell road in Walliston
Changes to the Emergency WA bushfire warning colours are now in effect. Please have a look at the DFES short video for more information.
www.emergency.wa.gov.au/
How volunteer firefighters learn to save houses from fires — and what you can do too
How volunteer firefighters learn to save houses from fires — and what you can do too
www.abc.net.au
Big bushfires have devastated large swathes of the country, destroying homes and taking hundreds of lives, but it is house fires that are the most insidious killer.
Four Brigade members were awarded with (very) long service awards at the Christmas in July function on Saturday night. Between them the four gentleman pictured here have provided over 90 years of service to the Brigade and the community. Mike Lennon, Andrew Stubbs, and Chris Grubba all joined the Brigade in 2000, were awarded Life Membership in 2015, and received 20 year service Awards, while Sean Winter joined the Brigade in 1990, was awarded Life Membership in 2005, and received a 30 year service Award.
Having long term volunteers in the Brigade is crucial to the our capacity to protect our community. They hold considerable stores of local and institutional knowledge which is crucial to firefighting operations, and they are an integral part of training new volunteers as they join and progress through the Brigade.
Long term members almost inevitably get involved in running the Brigade. All four of these gentlemen have held numerous leadership positions in the past, including Captain, Lieutenant, Training Officer, Equipment Officer, Hazard Reduction Officer, Secretary and Treasurer, and they all still hold positions - Andrew is the Equipment Officer, and Mike holds the position of Incident Support Officer with the Brigade, while Chris is in charge of the Bushfire Ready Program, and Sean is the Deputy Chief Bushfire Control Officer, both volunteer positions with the City.
Congratulations and thank you to all four.
Congratulations Dad (Chris), between Volunteering your time with the Bushies, the Bush Fire Ready Group, driving me to all my scans, bloods and everything Hospital. You really are amazing. Not all Superheroes wear capes.!!!! Well done to all the Brigade too. You all are amazing People. ❤️❤️❤️
I remember all four of these gentlemen and congratulate them for their years of dedication and service. I hope to come back again soon as I am back in the district
Congratulations, guys. Tremendous, outstanding dedication and contribution.
Congrats guys. Mike always a professional on the fireground
Congrats guys, we are lucky to have mentors such as you in our brigade 😊👌
Congratulations to you all and thanks for your efforts over the years 😊
Commendable effort gents. Well done! 🔥
Well done. Great achievement 👍
Awesome people! Can't rate them highly enough!
Well done guys 👍👍👍
Congratulations gentlemen, a job well done.
Congratulations gentlemen, well deserved!
Well done guy’s
Congratulations guys. Great achievement.
Congratulations gentlemen well deserved
At our Christmas in July party on Saturday night, the Brigade also inducted a new Life Member of the Brigade. Life Membership is awarded to members who demonstrate a long term and considerable commitment to the Brigade and by extension, the community we serve. Members become eligible to be considered for Life Membership after 15 years of active service, after which they also need to satisfy a number of other criteria.
This year's recipient, Duncan Reynolds, met those criteria with flying colours. Dunc joined the Brigade as a cadet in 2006 and rapidly became one of our most dedicated and reliable members. Since 2006 Dunc has attended 410 emergency incidents, has held the positions of Captain, First Lieutenant, Lieutenant and Crew Leader, and was awarded the Mark Loohuys Firefighter of the Year award in 2011. He currently serves as a Lieutenant. It is an absolute honour to extend Life Membership with the Kalamunda Volunteer Bushfire Brigade to Dunc.
Great job Dunc. Massive respect for anyone who serves as Captain given how demanding that job is
You're too young to be a lifer Duncan....but you certainly deserve it. Congrats and well done!!!!
Well done mate, Life Membership is a very prestigious award to receive and you will cherish the honour for a lifetime.
Congrats Dunc, well deserved! 🥳
Congratulations Duncan
Congratulations Duncan, well deserved.
Congrats mate
Unbelievable Effort Duncs!
Well done, Big Sauce!
Well done Dunk
Congratulations Duncan Reynolds. Welcome to the life members group.
Congratulations a great achievement 👍👍
Well deserved Duncan
Congratulations Duncan, well deserved!
Well deserved Duncinator!
Congratulations Duncan!
Congratulations Duncan
Congratulations Duncan well deserved
Last night the Brigade held a Christmas in July function. We have decided to move our annual Christmas party to the middle of the year, because fires kept interrupting the festivities when we held it in December... At last night's function a number of awards were given out and we'll post some of them here over the next few days.
The first is the Mark Loohuys Firefighter of the Year award, given to the Brigade member adjudged to have best exemplified the spirit of being a top firefighter over the past 12 months. The award is named to honour and keep alive the memory of Mark Loohuys, who was both a Brigade member and serving police officer, who was killed in the line of duty in February 2000.
The recipient of the award this year was Liam Day. Liam only joined the Brigade last year, but over the past 12 months has impressed mightily with his professional and dedicated approach, to first completing basic training and probation, and then during his first fire season as an active firefighter. Well done Liam!
Congratulations Liam and I love that the brigade and it's members still remember Mark with this trophy. Keep up the great work KVBFS..
Well done Liam, Being a former member of the KVBFB, and good friending Marks, you’ve done the award proud.
Well done Liam, congratulations, you are great example of volunteering.
Well done mate! Nailed it!
What a LEGEND Liam Day 🙌
Well deserved Liam
Good job Liam Day 👍👍
Well done Liam!
Congratulations mate, well deserved. 😊👍
Well done Liam
Congratulations
Nice work Liam!!
Brilliant idea.
Yeeehaa mate, well done!
Well done Liam, well done.
Well done mate.
Good work Liam!!
Onya Liam, well deserved mate
Congratulations Liam 👏
Fabulous story. What you might not know is that we still have fire lookouts here in Western Australia, operated by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservations and Attractions and they are a crucial part of the battle against wildfires.
Wildfire watchmen: the mountain tower where lookouts spot blazes
www.theguardian.com
Despite advances in fire-monitoring technology, volunteers in California remain a crucial defense amid worsening fire seasonsAwful news, our thoughts are with our Canadian colleagues
Wildfire burns town that set new record high temperatures in Canada three times this week
www.abc.net.au
A wildfire tears through the small town of Lytton in British Columbia, which set new record high temperatures for Canada on three consecutive days this week.Hope the people are safe.
Timeline Photos🧯🧯🧯 Local Hero, Simon Bell knows all about “Act, Belong, Commit.”
Nominated in recognition of his long serving and active membership of the Bush Fire Brigade, City of Kalamunda resident and Senior Community Local Hero, Simon Bell is a lifetime member of the Bush Fire Brigade having volunteered for over 17 years and assisted with over 550 fires.
“I love helping the community and being part of the community. I enjoy the camaraderie that comes with belonging to an organization,” mentioned Simon. “I recommend it to anyone who is prepared to put the commitment in, to join. But you do have to be committed.”
❤️🔥❤️🔥 “You also need the backing of friends and family. I could not have done what I do without the support of my wife. I would have been in real trouble without her. Sometimes I have been away for days, fighting fires anywhere in the State, and she is left to keep everything functioning at home. It’s a team effort.”
Mayor Margaret Thomas JP said, “Simon is a great example that behind every hero are any number of heroes, as part of a broader support network.”
“The 84 members of our local @KalamundaBushFireBrigade and their personal support networks, perform a valuable role in keeping our community safe. In 2020/2021, the volunteers were called out 46 times, including responding to eight large fires, 15 smaller fires, two hazardous situations, and two road crash rescues.”
“The City is a partner with Act Belong Commit , and by giving back to the community, we can all find our niche and a space where we feel we belong.”
❓❓❓ Do you know a Local Hero? Nominate them today at engage.kalamunda.wa.gov.au/local-heroes
For more information, please contact the City of Kalamunda on 9257 9999, email enquiries@kalamunda.wa.gov.au or visit www.kalamunda.wa.gov.au/
#ActBelongCommit #LocalHero #CityofKalamunda #BushFireBrigade
Well done Simon, a well deserved award.
Congratulations Simon
Simon, well deserved, congratulations
Richard Wall