Fantastic photo by one of our firefighters at a recent hazard reduction burn in Lesmurdie.
We take pride in our very busy prescribed burning programme, ensuring special attention to biodiversity and heritage to safely and effectively manage fuel loads to protect our community from the threat of fire.Early 2022 was a typical long summer of record hot days and numerous multi day campaign fires, some up to 900 kilometres away from our home station. This year, like last, our volunteer crews operated with the spectre of COVID hanging over everything we did. Restrictions in the tail end of the season saw the hard separation of our shifts and the pullback of our operational scope to emergency response (turnouts) only. This separation put on hold our weekly training, meetings and social events and rigidly split our brigade into two defined halves. All of which was isolating and took a toll on members that joined a volunteer fire brigade to be a part of a community that thrives on teamwork and comradery. This photograph was taken at the end of a 3-acre hazard reduction burn conducted in early Autumn and shows the calm of the dying intensity of a fire which burnt in a heavily fuel loaded block. While the hazard reduction burn was beneficial to the region and its residents in preparation for a future summer to come, the photo represents to me a return to normality and to business as usual. This burn was one of the first opportunities as the COVID restrictions were eased for our fire fighters to catch up with each other on the fire ground, train newer members, share stories of the summer gone, and run the light and easy banter that was sorely missed in the preceding months. As the smoke clears and the sun shines through the newly burnt bush, it is with a quiet sense of relief that we happily once again pitch in to get the job done as one team.
This photo has been is featured as part of the 2022 Resilient Australia Photography Award by the Australasian Institute for Disaster Resilience. Check out the other photos at www.facebook.com/1704366703179988/posts/3342998905983418/
Well done Reuben, you’re a bloody legend! 🩸💪🏼Meet Reuben – a firefighter with Kalamunda Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade and bloody legend!
Rueben is looking out for WA both as a volunteer and regular blood donor. Taking part in the Emergency Services Blood Challenge last week he racked up his 75th donation, saving up to an astonishing 225 lives 🙌
With WA's blood supply critically low, we’re helping Australian Red Cross Lifeblood put the call out to healthy West Aussies to please donate blood. You can join our DFES team and join the fight for a safer State.
🩸 Join now: bit.ly/3x9lC3M
#WorldBloodDonorDay
Happy National Volunteers Week, from the proud volunteers of the Kalamunda Volunteer Bushfire Brigade.
Thank you very much for all your effort and for keeping our family and our community safe!
Outstanding Kalamunda thank you for your service
Timeline photosRESTRICTED BURNING PERIOD AND BURNING PERMITS 🔥
From Friday 1 April the City will move into the Restricted Burning Period.
Due to drier than normal conditions, Burning Permits are currently not available. Until the dry conditions improve, the following measures will be in place. From 1 April, no permits will be issued however:
✔️ 1 sqm piles of garden refuse can be burnt, one at a time, without a permit between 6pm and 11pm.
💧 Piles must be fully extinguished by midnight (fully extinguished means no heat, smoke or steam and no white ash present where the fire was situated).
🍂 No more than one pile of garden refuse is to be burnt at any one time. There must be one adult in attendance at all times.
❌ No burning of piles including after 6pm or with a permit on days where the Fire Danger Rating is Very High or above.
Once conditions ease, we will notify residents via the City's website and social media channels. Anyone registered for the City's Bushfire Safety Information SMS tool will also be notified by SMS.
A "SEVERE" fire danger rating + a forecasted temperature of 40 degrees tomorrow for Kalamunda = Total Fire Ban.
Stay safe and report all signs of fire to 000.🚫 A Total Fire Ban has been declared for 11 March 2022 for the local government areas below. 🚫
⚠ Perth Metropolitan Region:
- Armadale
- Chittering
- Gingin
- Gosnells
- Kalamunda
- Mundaring
- Serpentine Jarrahdale
- Swan
⚠ South West Region:
- Murray
- Waroona
ℹ View the Total Fire Bans for today and tomorrow by visiting: www.emergency.wa.gov.au/#totalfirebans
Celebrating International Women's Day 2022
We are so fortunate to have some amazing women in the Brigade.
Go girls!
Legends…
#breakthebias2022
Legends!
The smell of smoke this morning was a result of a mulch fire in Walliston. Crews worked overnight to extinguish a large pile of mulch with the assistance of machinery from the City of Kalamunda
Great work Kalamunda VBFB! Thank you for all your hard work this Summer!
Scared the begibes out of the neighbour!
Have you reviewed your fire plan lately?
'Panic does amazing things to your head': Great Southern residents reassess fire survival plans
www.abc.net.au
"One girlfriend I know, took some beautiful wedding dresses, but she left in her Birkenstocks": Denmark residents are reassessing their bushfire survival plans after their lucky escape.
Timeline photosWhat’s better than nana’s cookies? …. Not much! 👵❤️ Or in answer to a previous post: maybe nana cuddles?
It might be time to pop in to see nana to see if she needs help getting her home bushfire ready 👍
Extra brownie points? 📲 Help to download the free ‘My Bushfire Plan’ app so they can start planning today.
My Bushfire Plan WA: mybushfireplan.wa.gov.au/