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The brigade took advantage of break in the winter weather to carry out a burn off in Sheaoak Drive Thursday.

Matty, Fish, Chris, Andy, Douglas, Steveo, Joe And Mick took part. Close to five hectares were burnt.

With a lot of properties wanting to carry out burns and the forecast of a dry spring, the brigade is trying to get in as many burns as possible between the rains.

The community was reminded last weekend that bush fires are still a threat, even though it is June.

Both Yallingup Rural trucks were called out early Sunday to put out a fire that originated in a private burnoff the previous day. FCOs Fish and Hunty, along with Andy, Michael B, Steveo and Todd spent  their Sunday morning mopping up.

Brigade Captain Matty points out that even though it is June and the fire season is officially over we need to be very careful burning off until the winter rains finally arrive.

After a very quiet season the brigade picked up the pace in May with its AGM and a couple of hazard reduction burns.

There were big changes at the AGM with longtime chairman, Ian MacKenzie, stepping down and being replaced by Peter Campbell, the area’s Bushfire Ready Facilitator. Ian will remain an active member of the auxiliaries while Peter maintains his facilitator’s role

The brigade also thanked Mark and Wendy Standish for their major contribution to the brigade over the years. Wendy has been the brigade secretary for the last few years and Mark was the Yallingup Siding brigade captain and then FCO and active member. They are moving to Darwin. Wendy has been replaced by Linda Jenkins.

Between the showers the brigade was able to get in two burnoffs; at Sainsbury Loop and Lombo View. The burns were managed by Matty with Alan, Chris, Dave B & Dave T, Douglas, Egis, Fish, Hunty, Mike, Noel, Ross, Ruth, Pete and Todd helping out.

More burns are planned, with the timing depending on the weather. The next is scheduled for this Saturday, June 3.  Anyone available should contact Fish.

Captain Matty points out it’s crucial for the brigade to conduct these important burns at this time of year as this minimizes the potential for major summer fires. And it is also an excellent opportunity for new members to get some experience,  in light of the very few fires this last season.

Brigade members were called upon to put their new training skills to good use Wednesday when they took on the Kaloorup fire and excelled.

Andy, Bevan and Noel, in the 4.4, were confronted by the fire before they got to the command centre. There was a strong, up to 40k, northerly wind pushing the fire through a combination of bush and paddock. Noel knocked the fire back with the truck’s monitor, They then went on, joining about 10 trucks from other brigades, in protecting a threatened property and in bringing the fire under control. Chris joined the crew after finishing his responsibilities in the incident control unit and they worked on mopping up and knocking down burning stags the rest of the day.

Duncan and Mike in the Light Tanker arrived a few minutes after the 4.4 and were instructed to patrol Jindong-Treeton Road, which was in heavy smoke. They worked on knocking down the fire in the trees to stop it jumping the road and then mopping up. During the course of the day the light tanker refilled seven times.

The crews worked over 5 hours on the fire.  According to DFES the fire was reported at 11 AM on Wednesday with the cause of the fire being an escaped private burn. Over 8 hectares were burnt.

Two new members of the brigade got to practice their new fire fighting skills Friday. Ross Miller and Murray Penter joined old hands Andy and Steveo in relieving the Dunsborough 4.4 crew at a fire near Donnybrook.

They left by bus at 6am and spent the day blacking out and assisting in putting out hot spots in the tree tops. In doing so, they managed to save a number of old trees from being felled. They were working around Hetherington Road, between Boyanup and Donnybrook.

The fire was first reported Thursday and a number of farm buildings have been destroyed, although no homes are reported burnt.

The crew returned with the Dunsborough 4.4 at 7:30pm.

The brigade was kept busy this week for all the good reasons. Monday and Tuesday evenings were dedicated to training and Friday night was the Christmas bash.

Monday involved training on the new burnover protection tools. These involved the new in-cab breathing devices-allowing 30 minutes of air in case of a burnover, the new truck sprinkler systems that give at least five minutes of protection to the trucks and the new vehicle tracking devices, that allow users to monitor truck locations. (Video available here)

Tuesday the auxiliaries took over, working with both the Rural and Coastal brigades, filling up trucks from Gunyulgup dam. Efficiently filling six trucks constantly for 90 minutes, they showed what could be done if the power goes out in the region. It was also a good opportunity for the two brigades to work (and play) together.

Speaking of play, Friday night was the annual Christmas party, again well managed by Mitch at Egis’ restaurant, The Barnyard. FCO Fish thanked the volunteers and their partners for their contribution during the year and Mitch thanked Captain Matty, in absentia, for his dedication during the year. A good time was had.