Pindimar/Tea Gardens RFS seeking new recruits and awareness of end of official fire permit season Myall Coast Myall Coast - popup ad Myall Coast News by News Of The Area - Modern Media - April 13, 2023 Pindimar/Tea Gardens RFS Volunteers after training (L-R): Brad Moon, Gary Akehurst, Keith Baker, Peter Plain, Brendan Brookhouse, Morrie Leembruggen, Captain David Bright, Patrick Hurkett, Helen Cambell, Mark Pryor. VOLUNTEERS are being keenly sought for the ever-crucial service provided by the Pindimar/Tea Gardens Rural Fire Service, which held regular training exercises at Tea Gardens on Sunday, 2 April. Training is held twice per month, at various locations around the Tea Gardens/Hawks Nest/Pindimar area, and is both great physical exercise, and a solid social experience with the dedicated team of local volunteers. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au This week saw recruits, seasoned and new, practicing the art of ‘bowling and rolling’ the fire hoses, then shooting down practice targets with the high-pressure water jets. According to the RFS, the statutory ‘fire season’ ended as of 31 March, however, human calendars are meaningless to Mother Nature. “The last two and a half years of rainfall have created an extreme fuel load,” Brigade Captain David Bright, who became Captain only five months prior to the devastating 2019/2020 fire season, told NOTA. Captain Bright referred to the La Nina weather event, which brought the extended heavy rains that have caused extraordinary vegetation growth. “Combine that with a predicted mild winter, and we will have a very high fire danger period coming up,” Captain Bright added, saying, “a ‘mild winter’ means low rainfall, very dry and perfect for vegetation to become fuel.” The end of the RFS’s statutory Bush Fire Danger Period, which officially runs from 1 October to 31 March, means that fire permits are no longer required, however landowners planning to burn off still need to notify their neighbours, and Fire Control 24 hours beforehand. Captain Bright and Training/Equipment Officer Morrie Leembruggen are eager to find new volunteers for the local brigade. “The average age of the Pindimar/Tea Gardens Brigade is 67,” Mr Leembruggen told NOTA. “We’re keen to train up some young blood to keep the wheels turning in the fire brigade,” said Captain Bright, “especially in the face of what’s likely to eventuate this year.” Information on how to join can be found via the Pindimar/Tea Gardens Facebook page, or by calling the Captain on 0408 680 835 for a chat. By Thomas O’KEEFE
