September has flown by! The Bush Fire Danger Period was moved forward a month and will finish on the 31st of March. As a result, anyone wishing to conduct pile burns will require a permit from Council and from the NSW RFS. You can get these via the Hornsby Council website and contacting Hornsby Fire Control Centre on 98832000. There are guidelines to ensure your pile adheres to regulation. Always ensure you have an ample water supply, and call Triple Zero 000 if the pile escapes, before further damage occurs. Failure to adhere to the regulations surrounding pile burns can attract significant fines and penalties.
In late August Arcadia attended the Mayoral Dinner, an annual event hosted by Hornsby Council for the RFS volunteers within the Hornsby/Ku-Ring-Gai district. As always it was a fun event, and a great way to catch up with familiar faces. Whilst we got to enjoy this event, we also had many members deployed as part of strike teams to Northern NSW. Two Arcadians, Ryan Cook and Grant Paisley, assisted with the firefighting efforts at Middle Creek, near Grafton. It was reported that the experience was eye opening to see the extent of the drought that has been affecting NSW, and the size in which these fires were. This serves as a reminder to have a fire plan in place, and to re-evaluate plans due to water restrictions and the dryness of the landscape. Arcadia has also been busy training, completing yearly competencies and participating in hazard reductions. The crew attended the Sackville North hazard reduction in The Hills District. The conditions were dry and crews were required to conserve water whilst they worked, as the area is similar to Arcadia with residents relying on water tanks. It was a successful day and the burn was completed.
Arcadia and Galston were invited to celebrate the first anniversary of Steam Yard Café in Galston. Galston and Arcadia work closely together within the community, and it was certainly enjoyable attending this event together. We got to meet more of our community, and meet the next generation of volunteers as the kids showed off their skills with the hoses.
In September, Ryan Cook was recognized by the Centre of Volunteering for his contributions to community service. Ryan was recognized in the Hornsby division for the NSW Volunteer awards. There were many incredible people there, all representing different aspects of their community. We at Arcadia Rural Fire Brigade are very proud of Ryan’s efforts and contribution. Arcadia held its annual Get Ready event and recruitment drive on the 14th of September. We spoke with residents the risks Arcadia is exposed to and how best to prepare properties and how to make fire plans.
If you’ve considered joining, now is a great time. You can contact us on enquiries@arcadiarfs.org.au. To all those firefighters out on strike teams, we wish you a safe return.