New Year. Same Message.
Happy New Year from the Arcadia Brigade.
The end of 2017 has sure been a busy one, and whilst it didn't slow down we still made sure we celebrated this tremendous year in style. The brigade's Christmas party was a huge hit at Geranium Cottage. Fantastic food, a lot of belly laughs, and horrendous Christmas cracker jokes was a recipe for a great evening.
It was also great to have all of the members families there, as it was an opportunity to thank them for their support, without them we wouldn’t be able to continue our work.
Looking back over 2017 the brigade grew with new recruits, who have now been joining us on the fire ground after passing their basic firefighter course. We have also seen our female crew members grow. At the beginning of 2017 we saw our first all-female crew, we'll soon have 2 crews!
Our activities have not been slowing down at all, attending many fire calls, notability a call to the Berowra Waters ferry, with smoke coming from an oil leak & a report of a 2-story boat fire at the Berowra Waters marina, which turned out to be an overheated winch motor, no fire or injuries.
In December we had the opportunity to visit Richmond RAAF base to talk to the crews of the DC-10 Air Tanker affectionately known as Nancy Bird, and the Hercules aircraft called Thor, both of which are part of NSW RFS arsenal for fighting fires. Our members were not only offered a tour of the planes but were given insight into the operation of these aircrafts, including the operations of the aviation ground teams to obtaining the lifesaving results. This was also an opportunity to say thanks to the crews who we only see working above us.
Arcadia 1 Alpha and Bravo got into the holiday spirit and were illuminated in a plethora of tinsel and Christmas lights for the annual Carols in the Valley event, held at Vision Valley. This was the second time Arcadia has attended this wonderful family event in Arcadia. Last year was a lot of fun, and this year was no different. Part of the brigades’ role is to support the community with being able to educate them on what we do and answer any questions that relate to their property and Survival Plans.
Fine weather allowed the district to undertake a strategic hazard reduction at Maroota. While the size wasn’t large, it was one that had significant importance in preventing the spread of fire around the Maroota community. We still have a number of larger hazard reductions planned for early in the new year and you can stay up to date by looking at the Hornsby Kur-Ring-Gai RFS website.
While we are now in to the new year, and we still have hot conditions in the fire season, it is important to remember that you need to make sure that your properties are prepared and that you have completed a Bushfire Survival Plan and importantly sit down with the family and go through it together.