The ranks of local RFS brigades have swelled in the aftermath of the deadly Black Summer bushfires. Tamworth District Manager Allyn Purkiss estimated about 100 new volunteers had signed up since toxic smoke choked city streets and enormous blazes tore through the region’s bush in 2019. With the newest batch of recruits reaching the end of training, Tamworth’s brigades have grown from a strength of about 1160 to about 1280, he said. “After a busy season we always get a surge of people going ‘I want to help out’,” he said. “We’ve just about got all those through now. There is a bit of a delay. They want to join in the middle of a fire season, and in the middle of a fire season we’re not training for obvious reasons. “So that means if they joined in December, thinking they were going to be able to jump on a truck straight away, we haven’t been able to fully get them trained.” The RFS veteran said the service learned a number of lessons out of the historic fire season, an unprecedented continent-wide bushfire emergency the service had never before faced. READ MORE: Communications issues that bedeviled the response will soon be resolved with a new Government Radio Network that allows trucks from different services with different radio systems to talk to each other. And a new computerised and automated high-tech system for paging volunteers at night should make it easier to help the local Rural Fire Service leap into action faster than ever. Local firefighters will get access to a new app-based system, which will help confirm which firefighters would respond. “All that’s done within seconds, whereas it used to take us minutes and minutes and minutes because we would have to ring,” Mr Purkiss said. “It will mean quicker responses and more appropriate responses.” Have your say, send a letter to the editor. Firefighters will also get upgraded protective gear, like helmets and improved, safer, trucks. But the high-tech gear is worthless without the volunteers, he said. “It’s all about what those volunteers do. They’re putting themselves at risk, they’re the ones willing to sacrifice their days and their family time to go and help the community,” he said. “That’s what Australian culture is – always helping a mate. They really need as best as we can give them, because they do an exceptional job.” Want more local news? Subscribe to the Leader to read it here first
The ranks of local RFS brigades have swelled in the aftermath of the deadly Black Summer bushfires.
Tamworth District Manager Allyn Purkiss estimated about 100 new volunteers had signed up since toxic smoke choked city streets and enormous blazes tore through the region’s bush in 2019.
With the newest batch of recruits reaching the end of training, Tamworth’s brigades have grown from a strength of about 1160 to about 1280, he said.
“After a busy season we always get a surge of people going ‘I want to help out’,” he said.
“We’ve just about got all those through now. There is a bit of a delay. They want to join in the middle of a fire season, and in the middle of a fire season we’re not training for obvious reasons.
“So that means if they joined in December, thinking they were going to be able to jump on a truck straight away, we haven’t been able to fully get them trained.”
The RFS veteran said the service learned a number of lessons out of the historic fire season, an unprecedented continent-wide bushfire emergency the service had never before faced.
Communications issues that bedeviled the response will soon be resolved with a new Government Radio Network that allows trucks from different services with different radio systems to talk to each other.
And a new computerised and automated high-tech system for paging volunteers at night should make it easier to help the local Rural Fire Service leap into action faster than ever.
Local firefighters will get access to a new app-based system, which will help confirm which firefighters would respond.
“All that’s done within seconds, whereas it used to take us minutes and minutes and minutes because we would have to ring,” Mr Purkiss said.
“It will mean quicker responses and more appropriate responses.”
Firefighters will also get upgraded protective gear, like helmets and improved, safer, trucks.
But the high-tech gear is worthless without the volunteers, he said.
“It’s all about what those volunteers do. They’re putting themselves at risk, they’re the ones willing to sacrifice their days and their family time to go and help the community,” he said.
“That’s what Australian culture is – always helping a mate. They really need as best as we can give them, because they do an exceptional job.”
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