Crystal Brook is a hive of activity this morning. The firefighting efforts are being coordinated from here; the showgrounds are a staging ground for the CFS units arriving from all over the state to help with the Bangor fire. As I did my rounds this morning I saw convoys of trucks arriving and refuelling, and assembling along the main road.
It was an amazing sight, all these men and women from hundreds of miles away, coming to help. Each truck has it's district on the the side, so it's easy to see how far they've come. What a great effort to try and tame this monster.
A standpipe has been set up near the showgrounds, where the trucks can fill their water tanks before they leave. The logistics of an exercise this big are mind-blowing; all the water and fuel and food needed to keep these units working. And it's all voluntary; what an extraordinary system, and how well it works. It's a fine example of the Aussie spirit.
Our brother Greg is in the CFS at Stirling North, an hour north of here; at the start of this fire he came down with his unit and spent many long hours working to refill the water bomber planes, in 50° heat on the tarmac.
That's him, closest to the camera in the blue shirt. He's just one of hundreds of caring, compassionate, heroic guys, giving their time and effort to help the community. We're proud of all of them.
3 comments:
Not to mention the businesses who allow their staff the time off without penalty, and often with pay. My honey is on his way up with a strike team from Salisbury CFS. Let's hope they can all pull off a miracle and knock this fire on the head.
Hope the cool change brings rain and not winds that fan the fire front. One of my hubbys staff has already been over to fight this fire (from Sydney) a few weeks ago. I hope the locals get some respite soon, as it has been a long fight.
I find it interesting that the 4 firetrucks you showed all seemed very similar. We are also volunteer fire departments here in my part of NY/USA but the firetrucks are all very different styles and colors, as picked by each department. I am with the Castile Fire Department and we have yellow trucks which are supposedly more visible when going to a scene. Good luck to all the firemen and women!
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