Busy week for fire crews

Wee Waa Fire and Rescue were called out to a vehicle fire on Monday morning.

“This morning, around 5.30am, 506 Wee Waa were paged to a car fire behind a local business on the outskirts of town,” said Wee Waa Fire and Rescue station commander, captain Bruce Cowan.

“On arrival our crew found a dual cab ute well alight.

“Crews got to work using our high pressure reel with foam to extinguish the fire and a small amount of grass around the area.”

Capt Cowan said crews established there were no occupants or people at the scene.

“If anyone has information on this incident please contact the Wee Waa Police or Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000.

“The crew were able to return to station just before 6.30 am and reload the truck ready for the next call”.

On January 31, crews were called to a motorcycle fire.

“Just after 10pm, station 506 Wee Waa were paged to a motorcycle fire in a grass paddock on the corner of Maitland and Boundary Streets.”

Capt Cowan said crews arrived to find a children’s sized quad bike on fire.

“Our crew got to work to extinguish the fire with our high pressure reel and foam to extinguish it within less than five minutes.

“Crews are thankful that the night before we received around 20 millimetres of rain, which stopped any further dried out grass catching alight.

“With the hot weather we have had lately it could have been a lot worse.

“There were no persons in attendance. If anyone knows any information please contact the Wee Waa Police or Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000.”

Capt Cowan said the station was looking for new members and urged local men and women to take up the opportunity.

“Your local fire station relies on people in the community to put their hand up to become firefighters – without that support, regional fire stations cannot survive,” he said.

Captain Cowan said becoming a firefighter was a great way to learn new skills.

He urged residents from all walks of life to consider becoming a retained firefighter.

Capt Cowan said retained firefighters balance work and family commitments to respond to fires and other emergencies on an ‘on call’, part-time basis.

He suggested it was also a good way to meet new people and form strong friendships.

Capt Cowan said training includes advanced first aid, heavy vehicle driving, and how to deal with emergencies such as fires, road accidents and hazardous material spills. Firefighters also educate the community on fire safety and prevention.

“Retained firefighters are on call, however this does not mean that you have to be available every minute of every day,” he said.

“Sharing availability with other retained firefighters can reduce any potential impact on work and private life.”