Any Fire Fighters here?

leojvs · 01-09-2006, 07:01 PM

With the fire season starting tomorrow, thought I would find out how many of us are Firies. Either paid or voulinteers.

Im unpaid in the Wollondilly Shire. Joined only a few months ago, so am nervously waiting my first big fire. Had a few call outs, but not actually seen flame yet.

hit it

MO · 01-09-2006, 09:21 PM

Be prepared to stare into the mouth of the dragon.
And don't be scared...respect it and control it.
(retired firie...aviation)

BA Bakes · 01-09-2006, 09:55 PM

There a few on here. I'm a volunteer in the RFS (nsw). Been doing it for 9 year now. We had two really big fires here last summer, and this one is looking even worse!!

kyro_02 · 01-09-2006, 10:19 PM

gettings warmer each day , here in mexico(vic)

i'm not in the bridgade, but been to sessions to 'watch' .. too fast paced for my legs lol
;)

MO · 01-09-2006, 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kyro_02

gettings warmer each day , here in mexico(vic)

i'm not in the bridgade, but been to sessions to 'watch' .. too fast paced for my legs lol
;)

Get in there join up and give it a go....you might surprse yourself!!!!!

XD 351 Ute · 01-09-2006, 10:28 PM

Yep, been an auxiliary firefighter here in CQ for over 12 years.
We've had a run of bush fires and a few prangs of late.
This years's fire season is looking pretty bad with plenty of fuel around.

Ed

**Professor Farnsworth** · 01-09-2006, 10:31 PM

i'm dreading this summer.. winter was dry as hell, and i'm guessing it's going to be a VERY hot summer around the corner :\ My parents nearly had to flee their house in Beechworth a few years back, that's something i don't want them to have to go through again... touch wood. (for want of a better term)

You guys do a great job, good on you.

Dave_au · 01-09-2006, 10:36 PM

Yeah I'm a volinteer for Ku-ring-gai RFS - the only RFS brigade for the entire Ku-Ring-Gai shire (mid north shore) but we come under the Hornsby district. Our area has over 5000 houses on the urban interface and ranges from Roseville to Waitara, including the Garigal national park and the infamous Lane Cove Valley, where the significant Sydney bushfires in 94, 97 and 01 were.

Obviously the regular guys are pretty prevailant around here too (Gordon, Beecroft, Hornsby, Willoughby, Crows Nest) which helps but both Hornsby RFS and Warringah RFS have another 35-40 trucks to assist us (as you would do in Sydney I guess)

One of our two tankers

CBR600RR · 01-09-2006, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave_au

Yeah I'm a volinteer for Ku-ring-gai RFS

Keep up the good work, Dave - I'm not far from Ku-Ring-Gai National Park!

Where are ya based? I know the station in Terrey Hills and the one in Belrose ...

EB_5.0_WAGON · 01-09-2006, 11:42 PM

Im an ex member of central RFS in the Cessnock City council area of NSW.
I used to love being in the RFS but i had to move to QLD for work reasons. ( stupid brisbane not having RFS units close by)
If you thought you couldnt handle the RFS pace wise you be very suprised as when the adreline kicks in you can amaze yourself at what you can do and believe me it is the biggest rush you can get standing infront of 40 ft flames coming at you.

Dave_au · 02-09-2006, 12:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CBR600RR

Where are ya based? I know the station in Terrey Hills and the one in Belrose ...

Their the boys over at Warringah - we're based up at one of the ovals up at Wahroonga with the SES

CBR600RR · 02-09-2006, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave_au

Their the boys over at Warringah - we're based up at one of the ovals up at Wahroonga with the SES

Ahhh cool, so when do I drop the beers over? :baby bott

Dave_au · 02-09-2006, 12:34 PM

Haha, we'll see how this fire season goes!

CBR600RR · 02-09-2006, 02:39 PM

That's NOT the kind of confident response I was looking for!

Are there any indications yet on how good or bad this season is going to be? Given that the temperature is already mid-20s these days ...

Van D · 03-09-2006, 01:06 AM

Dad's a firey.. If there's any other guys from around melb they might know him. Stationed at Greenvale right now, but worked at springy for quite some time and did a bit of work as a crank (burwood) as well. Was a leading fire fighter a few years ago, I duno about now.. Does fire investigation as well. Works his **** off he does.

Ultimate · 03-09-2006, 02:19 AM

I am a qualified firefighter, i look after bushfires with work mainy

Dave_au · 03-09-2006, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CBR600RR

That's NOT the kind of confident response I was looking for!

The fuel ground moisture content has been rather quite low for the last couple of years - we have not been receiving the sort of heavy winter downfalls that are required to bring this index down.

What we have been receiving however is light showers and drizzle, which dampens the top soil and low leaf foilage just enough that we have been unable to do a controlled burn (hazard reduction - which provides the best defence against a major fire) during the winter months

This has now caused a significant impact as we're now in a race to get as many of our Hazard Reductions in before the season comes into swing. The bad news, linking back to my first mention of the fuel moisture content, is that we're probably going to be unable to do large scale, broad acre burning, hence we'll probably only be able to do strategically placed reductions of a 5-10 of hectares each time.

It also looks like we probably only have a window of 7-8 weeks to burn.

As for Summer, Europe and the US have just had a bad run, but you never know your luck. The predictions for last year caused an early start to the fire season as well, and with the exception of what happened interstate, the only major fire to cause a significant impact on Sydney and surrounds were the Gosford fires.

S3SR · 03-09-2006, 06:51 PM

im an SES volunteer so i might go see about being a firey.... any thing to get out of uni..lol

leojvs · 03-09-2006, 07:19 PM

good to see theres a few of us out there!
Geez I was worried today. It was 0930, 25*C and only 25% humidity, with a strong westerly. Had something gone up

: I would have been outta here.... I havent got a pic of our truck as yet. Its a Cat1 though. We are hoping to get another truck as a rapid responce, likke a Cat7 or someting. Goo luck to you all thi fire season, stay safe, and dont get dead. Houses can get rebuilt.

pertuan · 03-09-2006, 07:23 PM

I've been thinking of joining the volunteers Firey service when I quit my job. Dunno when that will be though. How fit do you have to be?

Van D · 03-09-2006, 07:35 PM

^^Not sure about being a wally, but full time firey's have to be fairly darn fit.. I'd suppose it would be roughly the same..?

Dave_au · 03-09-2006, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pertuan

How fit do you have to be?

We have no major fitness requirments at the moment (there is talk of this changing however), although it's in your interest to be realistic about your own personal fitness - we lose more firefighters from heart attacks than anything else in recent history.

A lot of the time with major fires the officers in command will over-react and just send resources from all over the region - the unofficial motto of the RFS is "hurry up and wait" - we'll do a red light run to get there - then wait an hour to get an assigned task - this is probably 30-40% of our calls.

ssb2005 · 04-09-2006, 11:37 AM

Volunteer fire`ie here form south aus

The Yeti · 04-09-2006, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EB_5.0_WAGON

Im an ex member of central RFS in the Cessnock City council area of NSW.
I used to love being in the RFS but i had to move to QLD for work reasons. ( stupid brisbane not having RFS units close by)
If you thought you couldnt handle the RFS pace wise you be very suprised as when the adreline kicks in you can amaze yourself at what you can do and believe me it is the biggest rush you can get standing infront of 40 ft flames coming at you.

I'm a member of Londonderry (Cumberland Zone) in Sydneys West, were a busy little station we average arround 200 calls a year, why is it, when ever we talk to people about a fire its always "Man you should have seen it there was 40ft flames" LOL I actuly did just that this morning when talking to a guy from another brigade about a call we got on Saturday night.

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