June 12, 2014
McEuen Rural Fire Brigade held its second annual Open Day on Saturday morning to raise bushfire awareness and, hopefully, sign up more local members.
The brigade’s 1st Officer, Greg Day, said last year three people had joined the brigade after the open day and he had been hoping for something similar this year.
The main focus of the day was on bushfire awareness, ie “what people should be doing now to prepare their homes”.
Greg said that sadly, some residents were just not listening to the message and were allowing their properties to become overgrown.
“They pay an insurance premium every year to protect their properties. Why not do something around the property to ensure your home and sheds are safe in a wildfire situation?” he asked.
He said residents should also take note that it could take 20 minutes for urban brigades from Wondai to get to their property … that is, if they could reach them.
He said driveways should be maintained and overhanging branches removed to allow easy access to the firetrucks. Clearly visible street numbers at the gate would also assist emergency services.
Greg also suggested residents install a 50mm male camlock hose fitting on their water tanks to allow firefighters to quickly access water.
Properties would also be better prepared if owners considered purchasing a firefighter pump and 30m of hose.
“This way you can do something before the brigades get there,” he said.
4th Officer David Sewell said residents should also remember there would never be enough firefighters or trucks to protect every property.
“You need to take some responsibility for yourself,” he said.
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A highlight of the morning was a demonstration of how fire moves across a rural landscape.
A scale model of farming land was set up, complete with houses, sheds and roads and surrounding paddocks with a 15 tonne/ha fuel load.
One of the houses was placed on flat land. The “owner” had cleared around it in preparation for fire season and rural fire crews were able to quickly access it because there was easy access from the road.
A second house was situated on a hill. Semi-abandoned because of a family dispute, the grass was allowed to grow long around the building and there were trees close to the building and fallen timber. It was also situated further away from the road.
A third house, on the other side of the hill was better prepared but with a timber pile close in the rear yard.
A fourth house was built on the escarpment, overlooking the valley below.
McEuen 4th Officer David Sewell then dropped a match …
Rural firefighters rushed to House 1 and quickly laid down a protecting ring of water. However while they were protecting this building, the flames quickly took hold in the nearby “paddock” and advanced quickly up the hill.
The unprepared House 2 was rapidly engulfed and destroyed.
However House 3 fared better. The flames slowed going downhill which enabled the firefighters time to get there and get their water going to save it, apart from a mild scorching.
The flames moved more slowly down the hill but then gathered pace running up the escarpment. Only very quick action by the firies managed to save this building … in a real-life scenario, the owners may not be so lucky as the house was built in a very vulnerable position.
A wet line laid down around House 4 on the escarpment is enough to protect it from the flames running up the hill
