NSW RFS - Snowy Monaro District

5 days ago

On Thursday, 3 of our Snowy Monaro RFS volunteer firefighters answered the call for assistance to South Australia to help their SA peers and their communities and flew out to Adelaide.
We have been in touch with them daily, and wish to share their story with you....

"The NSW Rural Fire Service responded 45 firefighters making up ten strike teams to the Deep Creek fire in South Australia this week, to provide urgent assistance.
Three of our local members from Monaro formed part of the deployment. Senior Deputy Captain Peter Butler and Crew Leader Rob Smith from Michelago brigade and Deputy Captain Werner Lausberg from Colinton brigade. Our Monaro crew also had two members from the Forestry Commission to make up the five person team and the forestry members have told our crew the experience they have gained from working alongside our crew was invaluable.
Upon arrival the crews were immediately deployed to property protection and strategic backburning operations. The crews were working in steep difficult terrain.
Our crews were working in areas where residential structures had already been lost and part of their role was to provide ongoing protection and reassurance to the local community undertaking mopping up operations and high visibility patrols.
On Saturday our teams were tasked to commence backburning operations on perimeter boundaries in preparation for aerial incendiary devices to be deployed that same day. It has been stated to our NSW team members that their backburning was so effective that there was no need for the aerial attack and the helicopter was cancelled.
Later that day, the Chief Fire Officer visited the fire ground and personally thanked everyone of our firefighters on behalf of himself and SA for coming to help out and for our great efforts.
The CFO insisted on getting a photo with our team and capturing the great southern firebreak (the Great Australian Bight) in the background to show how close we were to the lowest tip of SA."

They will return home to the Snowy Monaro on Wednesday. ... See MoreSee Less