Sheoak Fire / Peccavi Winery Fire

On the afternoon of Tuesday 28th March , the Brigade were called out to two separate fires on Sheoak Dve and Wildwood Rd. 

Both fires took reasonable time to control due to the dry vegetation. Most firefighters working late into the night and ” mopping up” the next morning. 

Captain / FCO ,Matt Muir, said that ” due to no significant rain fall in the area the bush vegetation is still very dry allowing the fires to escape and run away quickly. Residents need to be cautious when conducting hot work activities over this period of time”  

Peccavi Estate, Wildwood Road

Sheoak Drive

Wyadup Road Fire

On Tuesday 14th Feb the brigade was called out to a fire on Wyadup Rd just before lunch time. The fire started on the verge of the road and was attended by Yallingup Rural with support from Yallingup Coastal BFB. 

Brigade Captain Matt Muir said ” Even though the fire was contained and controlled quickly, the very busy , Wyadup Rd had to be closed for an hour and a half to the general public to ensure the safety of the fire crews working on the road.  I cant praise the fire crews enough with their timely response considering we also had traffic hazards with road works being conducted on Caves Rd.” 

Nogerrup/Donnybrook Fire

Over three days and nights from 10th to 12th January, Yallingup Rural firefighters, as part of a combined City of Busselton Taskforce, assisted in fighting a blaze burning out of control in the Preston National Park in the Shire of Donnybrook/ Balingup. 

The fire has burnt thousands of hectares of forest, farmland and plantations. It took a combined effort from Volunteer Fire Brigades across the South West and beyond, DBCA, DFES and Local Governments to finally bring the blaze under control. 

The challenging conditions meant firefighters were very busy containing and controlling the fire, protecting properties and stopping the spread. In addition, Brigade Captain / FCO Matt Muir had his hands full with the role of Taskforce Leader / Sector Commander for two consecutive days.

Matt said, “It was an amazing effort and teamwork by all the volunteers in the South West to get the job done as safely as possible. Many of the firefighters travelled every day from a distance to assist.” 

Night time action – close up.
[media courtesy AJ Studios]

Thomson Brook Fire

Thursday, 5th January 2023, the team from Yalling Rural attended the Thomson Brook Fire, SE of Donnybrook, as part of a combined Capes Task Force with appliances from Busselton / AMR. The task was to build containment lines which was a challenge due to steep terrain, 35+ temperatures and strong NE winds.
The Yallingup Rural crew was tasked to defend farm assets affected by uncontrolled ” hop overs” and spot fires with support from local BFS crews.

Brigade Captain Matt Muir discussing tactics with the Sector Commander and representatives from sister brigades.

The fire was at Emergency Level at the start of the day and then was downgraded to Watch and Act, setting it up for local crews to consolidate and make the area safe.
Captain Matt said that, considering the long hours on the fire ground and the working conditions, the crews did an incredible job of containing the fire.

Mumballup Fire December 22

Christmas was heating up early for a couple of our boys, Mike and Andy, who set off on the 21st to Mumballup in the Yallingup Rural Light Tanker for a long hard day. The fire had started the day before, and, as seen from the above photos, there is no fire without smoke. It was the second day of the fire, and light tankers from sister brigades at Vasse, Rosa Brook and Dunsborough were also despatched for the vital tasks of strengthening containment lines, back burning and blacking out to prevent re-ignition.

Tuesday 15th November Multiple Brigade Training Session

Earlier this month, Yallingup Rural brigade met up in Dunsborough with Yallingup Coastal, Dunsborough, and Wilyabrup brigades for a joint exercise. The ability to work together across Brigades is essential, and it requires practice. The training focused our volunteer fireys on teamwork in the Rural-Urban Interface (RUI). This is where fire appliances designed and equipped for fires in buildings are used alongside Bushfire Brigade appliances. The two groups of firefighters also have specialised skills for the different environments and have complementary roles in combatting the blaze effectively to contain the spread. Training was sharpened by the fireys having to deal with simulated wind change and ‘red flag warning’ (extreme emergency) conditions.

Yallingup Rural and Duns Trucks and Briefing at Duns Fire Shed