Captain’s report
A few fun facts: overall, for the 2023 year the brigade responded to approx. 64 call-outs to a wide range of situations from fires, car accidents, trees down, oil spills and smoke sightings etc., with members putting in over 4,650 hours of volunteer time responding to calls, training, maintenance, etc.
As we come out of what has ended up being a very green summer into autumn, with almost no fires locally, it is the perfect time to clean up around your property and burn any fallen branches, and so forth.
Fire Permit season will finish at the end of March, meaning you no longer require a permit. However, you are still required to notify your neighbours and the RFS via an online notification:
https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/fire-information/fire-permits/burn-notifications.
Remember, not all smoke is bad and only call 000 if you see an unattended fire. You can regularly expect to see people burning off, as the brigade has written approximately 300 fire permits so far this fire season. Residents continue to keep their properties prepared in burning off excess material.
If you would like assistance or advice with a problem pile or hazard reduction, give us a call as we regularly assist with burns for training purposes.
We are back training on Wednesday nights to refresh our skills and continue the training of our newly qualified fire fighters, with several new ones working through their basic training.
Any questions on permits, or if you are interested in what we do and are considering to perhaps join up, give me a call on 0412 865 638 or drop in Wednesday nights from 6pm.
Captain Dusty
Incidents calls
Assist public .- The Brigade responded to a call to assist a property owner with a horse that was trapped with its rear legs down a cattle grid. The local vets attended and cared for the horse while Brigade members assisted Ambulance Rescue, who used specialised equipment to free the horse’s legs from the grid.
Grass fire, Marden Lane – The Brigade responded to reports of a fire next to the golf course. The call was a false alarm as the small pile burn was permitted, under supervision and almost extinguished, having been burning most of the day.
Ambulance Assist – Assisted our local ambulance with a patient lift down a stairway.
Oil spill, Barrengarry Mountain – On numerous corners on the mountain the Brigade applied spill sorb to problem areas to absorb the oil to make the road safe for drivers.
Trees down, various locations around the Valley – There were numerous calls on one day for trees down after a severe storm, with the brigade attending to at least four different incidents to clear trees to open roads and remove trees that had fallen onto buildings. The most significant call was to a fallen tree over power lines on Upper River Road, which had brought down the 11,000V power lines.
Numerous locals and tradies set to clearing the road, which we appreciate but at considerable risk to themselves considering there is the potential that power lines can be re-energized remotely at any time.
We must always treat power lines as live and do not approach within 8m until they have been confirmed as non-live wires by the power company. As these lines had fallen onto the new shiny guard rails, there was the potential that these could be electrified and ‘live’ for several hundred metres in either direction, enough to electrocute a person.
Training
The Brigade assisted a landowner with a paddock stubble burn for training exercise. The location was close to Moss Vale Road and nearby houses, so care was taken by brigade members to ensure the burn was safe.
Pile burns and burning off
The Fire Permit season finished on 31 March, and will recommence on 1 September 2024; however, there is a process that still needs to be adhered to prior to burning off in the off season:
1.You must notify the NSW RFS at least 24 Hours before you light the fire.
Ways to notify the NSW RFS:
ONLINE: Online at www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/notify or via the QR code.
PHONE: Shoalhaven FCC 4424 4424 between 8am and 4pm Monday to Friday.
- You must advise your immediate neighbours at least 24 hours before you light the fire.
- You must not light the fire if a Fire Danger Rating is HIGH or above
- At least one responsible person must be present on site until it is extinguished.
- Check the upcoming weather conditions as the pile may continue to smoulder for days.
- If you believe that you cannot safely control the fire once it has been lit, dial 000.
If you have concerns about doing this yourself, please contact the KV fire brigade and we can possibly assist you with your pile burn during or check your site for you.
Content supplied by Dusty Smart, Steve Bell, Jamie Salkeld, David Alexander
Compiled by Tracey Basman
