A heartfelt farewell and a warm welcome
Arcadia 1 Alpha is one of two trucks at Arcadia station and has been part of the local community for nearly 20 years, it is well known as being the work horse of the brigade. It has been a reliable truck, particularly known for its off-road driving capabilities, and has been on numerous strike team deployments. The 2019/2020 fire season called upon Alpha many times and the truck was deployed all over the state. However, the time has now come for the brigade to farewell the truck and prepare it for its journey to a new brigade.
Arcadia 1 Alpha was received by the brigade in 2001, and has since attended 1500+ operational activities, from motor vehicle accidents, bush fires, structure fires, to multiple day deployments in and out of our local area, not to mention the hundreds of people that have been able to experience sitting in a real fire engine at community events and we like to think that we have inspired the next generation of brigade members. Despite the trucks mature age on paper, it has been well looked after and will be sent to another brigade to carry on its working life.
On the 4th of March Arcadia picked up our new category 1 tanker. This new truck is only 1 of 3 new generation vehicles in service in the state and will further extend the brigades firefighting capabilities across a variety of incidents with improved technology, increased storage while providing the additional safety improvements for the members. The new truck is out in our local area and if you see us feel free to come and say hello and have a look through it.
In other news, you may have seen a number of trucks in the Berrilee area over the past few weekends. Crews from Arcadia and other brigades in the Hornsby district have started hazard reduction preparations. Hazard reduction burns are one of many useful tools the service employs to assist in minimising fuel loads. Residents can also minimise the fuel loads around their homes and other assets through mechanical means. This includes garden maintenance, general home maintenance, mowing lawns, and removing hazardous objects away from the home. You can find out more on hazard reduction burns and how to prepare your property on the NSW RFS website.
Since this article was written the brigade has scaled back activities in response to Covid-19. The brigade is taking this very seriously, and taking every precaution to ensure we can continue to serve the community operationally.
Do you live in the Arcadia, Berrilee or Fiddletown area? Are you interested in joining the brigade? Contact us at inquiries@arcadiarfs.org.au