History
Based on “Shoalhaven News” historical records, the brigade will turn 85 this year. At a council meeting on 13/12/1939 the then Council President, Mr HO Cox, was appointed as Captain of Kangaroo Valley along with 5 deputies to form the volunteer brigade. This followed on from very bad fires in January 1939 that burnt through most of the area. In January 1940, the Council voted to supply two rakes for each side of the mountain for Kangaroo Valley and Cambewarra, with the preferred equipment being green hide beaters, which consisted of a piece of cattle hide on a stick. It was further agreed at this meeting that the Captains be asked to arrange for their own equipment.
I have added an extract from a Shoalhaven News article from 18/01/1939 with details of a large bushfire sweeping through Kangaroo Valley.
Captain’s Message
Thankfully we have come a long way from 2 rakes and some green hide beaters.
It has been a relatively quiet month for us, as we are heading into the middle of winter. It is not as much fun to be out training and spraying water around on foggy cold training nights. However, some exciting things have been happening behind the scenes, utilizing some of our donated funds to further enhance the brigade and firefighting capabilities.
There has been an upgrade to our video conferencing and online training capabilities with the purchase of laptops, and a camera with a conferencing setup, which has now been well utilised. We will be funding a truck driver training course for four members to be able to drive the fire trucks. We have purchased a new Thermal Imaging Camera (TIC) that will be used for finding hot spots in structure fires as well as bushfire mop-up. It is also a useful search and rescue tool.
The brigade would like to extend our thanks to our donors who support our brigade financially. Without this, we would not be as able to support the community when needed. A reminder that all donations are tax-deductible.
A big congratulations to our latest BF-qualified firefighters Jemima, Hayley and Grant, who all passed their practical day and have now joined the ranks and are keen to get to their first call-out. They have all put in a heap of effort to the training and thoroughly deserve your praise when you next see them. They have certainly added some new spark around the station.
Also, five members completed an upgrade to their CABA qualifications, undertaking an advanced structural firefighting course hot cell training for structure fires with temperatures over 350C recorded.
The brigade’s AGM was held this month with no changes recorded to any of the current executive and brigade officers, so business as usual.
Captain Dusty 0412 865 638
Incident Calls
There were six fire calls for the month that crews attended:
- We were called to assist NSW Fire Rescue with the Manildra silo fire and supplied a crew of specialist breathing apparatus wearers (CABA) to assist with the cleanup operation and backup in case the situation worsened.
- Two calls to trees down over Moss Vale Rd and Cambewarra Mountain after the latest deluge of rain. Both jobs were handled by chainsaw crews while managing traffic control and road cleanup.
- The brigade was asked to look after an SES tasking that was also another large tree down, blocking an access road off of Upper River Road that specialist chainsaw operators handled.
- Yet another tree down, this time over Tourist Road Beaumont, pulling communication lines down with it and blocking the road. This was safely removed by crews from KV and Cambewarra. Also a group of KV members returning from a chainsaw course at Tomerong lent skills on their way home.
- Lastly an accident between a car and a motorbike just north of the township, which resulted in injuries to a motorbike passenger. They were treated and transported to hospital by NSW Ambulance crews, while the brigade made the scene safe and dealt with fuel and oil spills. It was good to see such a quick member response with strong numbers turning out to assist.
Electricity Danger – correction
We would like to advise our readers there is a correction regarding this Electricity Danger from our June article.
When approaching fallen power lines, the minimum distance is 8 metres (not 6 metres).
Pile Burns and Burning Off
The Fire Permit season finished on the 31st of March, and will recommence on the 1st of September 2024; however, there is a process that still needs to be adhered to prior to burning off in the off-season:
- You must notify the NSW RFS at least 24 hours before you light the fire.
Ways to notify the NSW RFS:
Online: at www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/notify or via the QR code.
By phone: call Shoalhaven FCC on 44244424 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 smolder 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 or check your site for you.
