Volunteer Fire Service members Jackson Steele, Morgan Ashworth and Tim Ammon dismantling the car. Photo: Chloe Sipeki
It was a weekend of firefighting awareness with two open days dedicated to showcasing the local brigades and educating the community.
The Quarry Road Bushfire Brigade held their open day on Saturday with the Esperance Emergency Support Unit to promote the two co-located volunteer run brigades.
Demonstrations of Cooking safety, foam and fire extinguisher use were carried out by volunteer crew to show how to act in case of emergency at home.
Families and kids were able to test out their aim with the fire hose and have a look at the comms van, getting a rare peak at the recourses the EESU use that are vital to their work.
On Sunday, fire hoses were sprayed fire and wrecked cars got pulled apart in the Museum Village for the Fire and Rescue open day.
This event was held by the Esperance Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service, in support with local businesses, who also wanted to bring a slice of life as a volunteer firefighter to the forefront of the Esperance community.
“It’s to show the community what we do and how we do it,” Esperance volunteer firefighter Kieth Rymer said.
“To get the word out that we are only volunteers. People think that we are career firefighters, but we are still just volunteers.”
A key attraction for their open day was the road crash disassembling demonstration. Three members of the fire crew removed the roof and doors of wrecked car with hydraulic tools, also known as “the jaws of life”, before setting off the air bags. Volunteer firefighter Amelia Fitzgerald said this showed the community the capabilities of the fire service.
“With the road crash, often the only time people are exposed to that is if they are in a vehicle crash,” she said.
“So they can see the type of gear and see the banging and noise we make.”
With fire season coming up, the fire service volunteers stressed the importance of the open day to remind people to prepare plans for fire safety.
“We want to get it into everyone’s head before they start travelling,” Mr Rymer said.
The crew recommend families prepare evacuation kits in case of emergency. There are other precautions like clearing gutters and constructing firebreaks around properties which reduce the risk of fire.
With a heightened risk of fires, the warmer season also calls for more willing and able volunteers to join the local brigades. The Quarry Road Bushfire Brigade, Esperance Emergency Support Unit and Esperance Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service said they were always keen for new recruits and encourage people to get in touch if they are interested.
More information about joining the Esperance Volunteer Fire and Rescue service is available by contacting them vie esperancevfrs@outlook.com or the group’s Facebook page. Membership enquiries for the QRBB and EESU are welcome by phoning 0427 012 450, 0415 894 242 or 0427 951 467.
