Early afternoon during August, a bush fire started at Coba Point, which in the windy conditions, quickly escalated the fire. A crew from Arcadia attended the fire, where they and other brigades, worked throughout the night carrying out property protection. They had faced trying conditions, it was cold, the wind was relentless, and the terrain was less than ideal. However, spirits remained high as the training they have undertaken at brigade and district level in the months prior, assisted them. This incident was one of many that NSW faced that weekend and highlighted the importance of being prepared. The brigade has kept up with its training, through assisting locals with pile burns, basic skills training at station, and the running through scenarios at Arcadia Primary school, combining bush and village firefighting strategies.
The brigade continues to attend many and varied calls from within the local area. These include: asbestos dumping (along with friends at Castle Hill Fire and Rescue); rubbish pile fires (due for Council collection), a bush fire in Cherrybrook, and on the same day a high pressure gas pipe ruptured.
Part of our work is to test hydrants in Arcadia. Please do not cover them up, we need them. Please keep them clearly marked and clear away any scrub or grass, but be aware of creature that also like to call those hydrants home!
The Mayoral dinner is the event of the year. This ‘thank you’ event put on by councils is an opportunity for all members to come together to share stories and build on the relationships for the year ahead. Assistant Commissioner, Rebel Talbert was present, and the Arcadian team promptly snapped up a photo opportunity with her. Rebel is an excellent ambassador for women in the RFS, and her words of enthusiasm and encouragement were appreciated by us. This night is particularly important for the brigade, and district, as it strengthens the bonds between all members of the service and their roles.
Our Get Ready event was one of many to be held in September throughout the state. One of our key messages to our community was preparedness for horses during bush fires. We ask if you have a plan for your property and family, that you ensure you made a plan for your horses and other animals. It is important to have a plan for both leaving early and staying for your animals. A few simple ideas include having a list of places to take your horses if you’re leaving early, and what items to take, for example feed, water, natural fibre rugs, and owner and identification documents. However, it is not always possible to get to your horse or take your horse from your property. If a fire were to impact your property a safer place for your horses is a large, cleared paddock or opening internal gates to create a larger space, that ideally has a water source, low grass, and plenty of room for them to run and remove synthetic rugs and halters. Your horses should be familiar with this. Please do not let your horses out onto the road. This has the potential to hinder the access of emergency services traveling through, or cause an accident with those trying to leave. You can leave a sign on your front gate saying if you’re home or not, and if there are any animals on the property. It is also important to have a first aid kit at hand, for you and your pets.
Further information is readily available on the NSW RFS website under resources, and you’re always welcome to visit us at the station for a chat!
