Narrabri’s VRA Rescue Squad has received an inflatable rescue raft, adding to the rescue equipment housed at the service’s Mooloobar Street headquarters.
The raft, supplied by Santos, is among several achievements for the local service.
At Christmas time, the VRA held its Driver Reviver at the Tourism and Information Centre on Christmas Eve.
Leading up to Christmas, the VRA was also kept busy with the major flooding which occurred across the shire.
The VRA was involved in flood rescues as well as carting goods to Wee Waa during periods of isolation.
More recently, the VRA’s snake catchers have responded to snake sightings as numbers grew after floodwaters subsided.
However, the VRA’s Harvey Black has asked people to only report snakes if they know where they are. Finding a snake in a backyard, or a relatively big location, is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
“Snake numbers have been higher than usual,” Mr Black said.
Training at the VRA’s Narrabri headquarters continues. The service is always looking to add new members to its squad.
In broader VRA news, late last year, the NSW government announced a new funding arrangement for the service.
The funding means the local VRA is no longer required to pursue community fundraising as it has done in the past.
The Narrabri community has been supportive of the VRA and the important role it plays in the community. Funding has also been supplied for flood training.
This year, the NSW government announced a $4.7 million boost to VRA communications across the state to ensure seamless coverage.
The funding injection will overhaul the VRA’s radio network to bring it into line with the other emergency services.
The funding will provide for 421 new radios and equip 100 vehicles with Vehicle as a Node technology.
The Vehicle as a Node capability integrates radio, mobile phone and satellite networks to provide a communication system that is resistant to ‘blackspots’, which often occur when natural disasters impact infrastructure.
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