Emergency call adds real-life drama to Inverloch CFA’s open day

Visitors to the annual Inverloch Fire Brigade open day on Sunday, November 1, got more than they bargained for when little more than an hour into the day, the alarm went off for a real-life emergency.

Where CFA volunteers had been cooking the BBQ, meeting and greeting visitors with information and showbags or offering kids their own moment on the fire truck, it was all-of-a-sudden action stations.

The alarm had been raised for a “wash away” after a fuel spill from a car in the driveway of a house in Pymble Avenue in the town’s east.

The beauty of having all the volunteers on location was that within a matter of seconds they were dressed in their gear, on the truck and away down A’Beckett Street with lights flashing and sirens blaring.

The fact that they were answering the call in a fire truck that’s more than 30 years old is another story.

Emergency Management Coordinator at South Gippsland Shire Council, James Bremner, also the community safety coordinator and a volunteer at Inverloch CFA, said the message from open day is simple – get the Emergency Vic app and prepare for fire!

“So, the main message is about getting fire ready. It's about preparing for this coming bushfire season and understanding your local risk,” Mr Bremner said.

How close are we to the declaration of fire danger period here?

“There's a lot of factors at play that define when the fire danger period comes in. I would imagine that with the rain that we've had over the last few days, it might be pushed back a little bit.

“But it's headquarters that define the fire danger period and passes that information down to us but it’s probably not that far away.

Mr Bremner was delighted with the response and community engagement on the day.

Yes, very pleased. We've had about 100 people here, I think, throughout the last couple of hours. So yeah, it's been great to have some families, some young children come through, locals, people visiting. Yeah, it's great to be able to share those fire-ready messages with the community here,” he said.

While the BBQ sausages, getting on the truck, and the visit by Captain Koala were popular, the activity that scored a biggest hit was spraying the fire hose on a tiny fire truck on skateboard wheels, sending it racing up the slope towards the back of the fire station.

Everyone wanted to have a go, and not just the kids!

After Saturday’s deluge, the weather turned out perfect for the fire brigade open day and the emergency call added that unexpected bit of drama which also indicated how often out volunteer fire fighters get called out and exactly what goes into getting a truck and crew on the road.

And what about their bid for a more up-to-date fire truck? We’ll have to wait for an update until after the end of the looming caretaker period, starting on Tuesday, November 3, ahead of the Victorian State Election on Saturday, November 28.