Colinton Courier

Newsletter of the Colinton Rural Fire Brigade * No 150* May 2014

Call out:

On Saturday 26 April , a motor vehicle accident was reported “just north of ”. Dave K was dispatched in Bredbo Nine to investigate, and a single- vehicle rollover was found just north of Poveys Road. Colinton Seven Bravo (Graham) was then dispatched to the scene, but there was no pager message of SMS to crews. The 4WD vehicle was extensively damaged, and the driver injured, but the three passengers escaped unharmed. The vehicle heading north had veered off the road to the east, across the flow of traffic, and come to rest in a culvert. Three ambulances, three police cars and two fire trucks attended the incident.

HR Burn:

On Wednesday 30 April, Seven Alpha (Jeremy, Andrew B, Nick) joined crews from , , Smiths Road Life membership awarded at the AGM and Bredbo in a Hazard Reduction burn (Photo by Roslyn Carroll, - in steep country south of the Jerangle Express) Road, accessed by the rough Good Good Fire Trail. The burn was directed by Cooma Operations Support Officer Chris Committee 2014-2015: Allen assisted by Safety Officer Ailish Pope. At the initial briefing, Chris Fire Captain : Graham Povey described himself, for radio purposes, as Senior Deputy : Nick Goldie “Good Good Control”. (Voice from the Deputies: Bob Morison, Jeremy Mears, crowd: O, good. Ailish: I think it’s actually Michael Burton, Barry Woollacott Old Good Good …) President: Michael Burton Secretary: Sandra Lauer The area contained several recorded Treasurer: Bob Morison koala colonies, as well as some historic Training Officer : Jeremy Mears sites including a Chinese cemetery, a Equipment Officers: Michael Burton, reminder of the gold-mining days. A very Karl Higgins low-intensity burn was required. This Community Awareness: Nick Goldie ended with some very cold rain, even Permits: Graham Povey hail, in early afternoon. Crews were home late afternoon. NSW RFSA Delegate: Jeremy Mears

Training:

The Colinton Brigade conducts training every month on the second Saturday, at two o’clock, at the Station at Colinton. Everyone is welcome.

If possible, crews are asked to arrive at 1330 (1.30 pm) to check the trucks before training.

Andrew lighting up in koala country

Annual General Meeting:

The well-attended Brigade AGM was held on Saturday 10 May. (See panel). The outgoing Executive Committee was re- elected, with one significant change: Michael Burton was elected unopposed as Brigade President, replacing Nick Goldie who delivered a final President’s Report. April training - James and the water Highlight of the AGM was the cannon on Bredbo Six (Photo SL) presentation of a plaque to Captain . Graham Povey to mark his election to President’s Report 2013-2014: Life Membership of the Brigade. At the Annual General Meeting held on The AGM was also the first opportunity to 11 May 2013 , the Brigade took delivery of make use of the newly acquired catering the brand new Seven Charlie . The new trailer, and a BBQ was enjoyed by all. truck was quickly initiated into its duties at a major grass fire south of Dromore Supt. Langdon Gould represented Road, and the next day with a grass fire Cooma Fire Control and acted as at the end of Poveys Road – also the first Returning Officer when all positions were time the brigade had the chance to use declared vacant. He gave a detailed the new back-pack blower. And this set account of the past season, and the scene for the remainder of May and foreshadowed some technical changes to June, with fires at Road, fire management in the near future. Billilingara Road, and Ingelara.

In June, Brigade Secretary Sandra and Colinton. After seventy- attended the annual RFSA conference, two hours, crews were sent home by bus, which was on the theme Recognise, while fresh crews took over the fire Foster, Support, Achieve . Among many trucks. In the end, the fires were put out meetings, one of the most significant was by rain, but the crews had done an with Emergency Services law expert important job preventing spread and Michael Eburn, who has provided protecting Blue Mountains communities. brigades with much useful legal advice on The Brigade was very pleased to receive topics such as mandatory evacuation. a formal Certificate of Appreciation from the Wollondilly Shire Council. Also in June the Brigade received a grant from the NRMA Community Grants Nearly two dozen residents of Bumbalong Program for the purchase of two new Road took part in a fire safety awareness back-pack blowers. Brigade members day at the Colinton Fire Station on attended a presentation ceremony at the Sunday 1 December, organised by Kim Cooma NRMA offices, when the NRMA Templeton and Paul Way. The event was Regional Manager presented certificates timed to match the delivery of a to the Brigade, and to the Bumbalong Community Fire Unit trailer for Valley Progress Association (for their Bumbalong Road. creation of the BVPA Homesafe Plan). Training in December consisted of a In August the Brigade was informed of dangerous goods workshop hosted by the success of another grant application, Bob Leeson of Tablelands Explosives, this one to the (then) Minister for including demonstrations of the sorts of Housing, Community and Indigenous dangerous goods likely to be in farm Affairs (Jenny Macklin) for the purchase sheds, and finishing with a live fire and equipping of a catering trailer. The exercise with a burning car. trailer was subsequently supplied and fitted out by M&T Motors of Cooma. Brigades in southern NSW and Victoria were kept very busy as a series of As well as several grass fires, a major electrical storms passed through and event in August was a Love Grass Field ignited major fires along the Day held just north of Bredbo, run by the NSW/Victoria border. On 31 January, a Colinton and Bredbo Brigades. Crews major fire was ignited off the Shannons took part from Cooma, Numbla Vale, Flat Road, and there was a general call- Jerangle, and from the ACT, Guises out of all neighbouring brigades. A Creek, Hall, and Rivers. Inevitably, crews Section 44 (state of emergency) was were called away to attend “real” fires on declared for the Monaro as the the Road and Caseys Road in Murrumbucca Fire spread rapidly. It was the Jerangle district. finally declared “out” on 10 February. All local RFS brigads had been heavily State-wide RFS Open Day was held on involved, as well as crews from the ACT Saturday 28 September, and gave a and National Parks, helicopters, and bulk foretaste of the strong winds to come in water carriers. October. A serious fire near was described as having a front of One of the last activities carried out in this 800 metres and “going like a train”. Then Brigade Year was the hosting of a Basic in late October, a Colinton crew in Seven Firefighter course over 5 and 6 April at Charlie joined a Monaro strike team Colinton. We are delighted to welcome bound for the -Blue Mountains twenty new firefighters to Colinton, fires, with crews and trucks from Dalgety, Michelago, Smiths Road and Bredbo who Smiths Road, Berridale, Bredbo, will strengthen what is already an

impressive regional fire fighting force. We were also pleased to welcome Tim Ingram, the new Learning and Develoment Officer in Cooma-Monaro, Items for The Colinton Courier to Nick Goldie at who supervised the course. NG. [email protected] 02 6235 9190 by the first Saturday each month, or to any Committee member. For production assistance we are grateful to:

and to

M & T MOTORS 24 Hour Towing - Mechanical Repairs 6452 5250 – 0414 484 180

The Colinton Courier is also available at www.michelagoregion.org.au Views expressed in The Colinton Courier  are not necessarily those of the editor, the Brigade, or the RFS.

Essential numbers Incoming President Michael with Julith and the new catering trailer Emergency 000 (Photo by Roslyn Carroll, Cooma-Monaro Express) Fire: Cooma Monaro Fire Control Volunteers Family Day: (24 hrs) 1 300 722 164 RFS members and their families are 02-6455 0455 invited to a Volunteers Family Day on Sunday 1 June at the Fire: Showground. The day includes children’s Captain and Permit Officer: activities, a live band throughout the day, Graham Povey free refreshments and hot lunch, and the 02-6454 4150 RFSA Shop – always worth a visit. 0419 406 908

Please RSVP by 23 May to Victoria Hood [email protected] 02 4722 2122