We came to the end of the fire season at the end of March. From April, conditions for lighting fires differ depending on whether you live in The Hills Shire, or Hornsby, so check with your local fire captain (Middle Dural, Len Best 0408220705). The coming months are ideal for clearing hazardous vegetation prior to burning or mulching, rather than delaying it till next fireseason!
Our Annual General Meeting will be on Monday 9 April, starting at 6.30pm with dinner, followed by the meeting. All our residents are welcome to attend this meeting.
Now that summer is over, Middle Dural Brigade will be undertaking hazard reductions in our own area and joining other brigades for larger-scale burns elsewhere in The Hills. These team efforts, where many crews work together, enable us to truly prepare for emergencies, as we get to know and trust each other. This was the start of multi-brigade Annangrove burn last year.
In Middle Dural Brigade, two new recruits are undergoing their first course, Basic Firefighter. They have had some months familiarisation around the station, getting to know the ropes. Once they have the Basic Firefighter qualification, they will be welcomed as full members of the Brigade and encouraged to take part in those upcoming hazard reductions.
Our new recruits can take further training, such as Village Firefighting, Advanced Firefighting and Crew Leader, with many other courses available depending on where their interests lie. These include chainsaw operation and heavy vehicle driving, on and off road. However, if you think you might be interested in becoming a volunteer firefighter, there is no obligation to commit to any courses, until you’re sure that it is what you want to do. All fire-prone areas in New South Wales depend on their volunteers, and all interested people are welcomed, but you need to spend some time with us and at the station, before you decide you want to commit to training. We encourage you to check us out!
