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More than 250 community members recently walked through the station doors at Allansford Fire Brigade during their Get Fire Ready event on 18 October, to prepare their families for the fire season.
Allansford Fire Brigade Captain Dylan Henriksen said the event was a major success and an improvement from the year before, stemming as a great way to interact with the community and for them to meet their local brigade members.
“It was a great set up, we had members stationed at different stands throughout the day – we had a public information one where members were helping people download the VicEmergency App and give advice on how to prepare their homes,” Dylan said.
“We had a couple on the barbecue and a few on the fire truck engaging with the kids’ activities. Others greeted people as they were coming in and pointing them in the right direction.
“People were free to roam around and engage in an activity that suited them and by the looks of the kids faces they had an absolute ball. We also had Ambulance Victoria and Victoria Police join in too.”
Allansford’s Brigade Community Safety Coordinator Scott Barclay, who organised the day, said the event allowed natural conversation with community members and a simple way to reinforce important messaging to them ahead of summer given the grassland risk that borders the town of Allansford.
“We’re such a small town, but I really wanted to reinforce that just because we’re outside of Warrnambool, doesn’t mean we won’t be affected,” Scott said.
“It was great to have the kids play with the squirty fire trucks and show bags, so we could chat to their parents to get an understanding of where they live, work, if they’re travelling over summer and what schools the kids go to, as it builds knowledge for us when responding to fire calls.”
Scott was recently elected in the role and knowing Get Fire Ready was coming up he wanted to ensure they collaborated with the major Saputo Warrnambool Cheese & Butter Factory nearby, as they are in their response area.
“I wanted to get them on board, and we were lucky enough to have them supply milk for the kids and donate a cheese hamper,” Scott said.
“It was a great way to start a conversation with the community members as they first came in, as those that showed us their VicEmergency App or set up their watch zones went into a prize draw.
Scott said all members had a role on the day, and it not only highlighted the essence of CFA, but also the diverse roles volunteers can play within the brigade for those who are interested in joining.
“We had long standing members on the barbecue, and others grabbing things from the supermarket. They are non-operational and still love to do those jobs and be part of the brigade,” Scott said.
Coming from Werribee Fire Brigade, Scott wanted to reinforce that just because Allansford Fire Brigade is smaller, it didn’t mean they had to reduce the size of their event.
“You can still put on a really good quality event without going over the top to be able to give those clear messages,” Scott said.
