Local emergency volunteers will be ready to respond to the community’s needs should another storm event occur, thanks to a chainsaw usage course.
Over the past two weeks, members from Emerald Fire Brigade and Clematis Volunteer Fire Brigade have been undertaking a course to gain chainsaw usage accreditation.
“This was a dire need within our brigades, especially with the heavily forested area we live in, and the impact that storms can have on our local communities,“ Emerald CFA 1st Lieutenant Klaus Brodeck said.
“During big storm events, SES Emerald call on our local CFA brigades to give them a hand to help clear roads, assess storm damage calls, and most importantly – to get the job done. We always work hand in hand with SES, and we’re proud to be able to boost our response capabilities to support their efforts.
“Having qualified chainsaw operators in our brigade doesn’t just support SES however! We utilise chainsaw operations on the fireground too.“
A total of 16 members attended the course, learning invaluable safety skills.
If a track becomes impassable due to trees down, or firefighters need to be able to gain access into (or escape) an area with active fire, chainsaw usage can be a greatly effective tool that we can use to stay safe, and be able to do what they do best.
Mr Brodeck said courses like this were just the tip of the iceberg of what they do in the CFA.
“If you’ve ever been interested in joining, becoming an operational firefighter has never been easier! If you or someone you know wants to join our ranks, today has never been a better day to start that journey. Send us a message on Facebook to get started!“ he said.
