Opening doors, minds and opportunities

Get Fire Ready had a more poignant tone this year for residents of Strathbogie Shire, with the events of last January generating more interest from locals wanting to be bushfire prepared. The Euroa CFA Open Day held at the Clifton Street station on Saturday 17 October drew a larger crowd than usual with organiser and local firefighter Teagan Kubeil saying that the numbers during the first hour were notably bigger. "It's a larger turnout earlier than last year," Ms Kubeil said. "I think the January fires have taught people to be much less complacent about preparing." With activities for all ages and representatives from CFA, SES, and Victoria Police on hand, the morning was also an opportunity for recruitment as well as engagement. Ms Kubeil said the advice for being fire ready had remained consistent. "The message stays the same," she said. "The basics at least don't change - tidy around the house, prepare properly, have your fire plan ready." She said a larger focus for the Euroa Brigade was for people in town to be as prepared as those living closer to bushland and on farms. "It's more for those who have been in town and maybe needed to evacuate or get ready for it. "It is just as important for those in-town locals to be as fire prepared as those out of town." "People are also learning that it goes beyond the fire season. "Clean your gutters, keep the house tidy and not just in the summer months; if any emergency service needs to get into your house, they need to be able to. "It can be all year round." Sunday morning saw 19 locals reach Upton Hill for that brigade's information session, led by CFA's Adrian Moule and Emily Birch with the assistance of two CFA wellbeing officers. With almost everyone in attendance having been directly impacted by last summer's fire which swept through Upton Hill on 8 January (day two), the mood was sensibly balanced between the egg-and-bacon-roll breakfast cooked up by local photographer Colin Page and the sobering conversations that took place over coffee. Of note was the presence of Sue Kent, who epitomised the giving spirit of all CFA volunteers by reminding to not draw any notion of heroism from among her colleagues, as she met this correspondent properly for the first time since she attended a callout to deal with a blazing tree on day four of the disaster (The Euroa Gazette 21 January). Mr Moule and Ms Birch then hosted that morning's session which was possibly one of the more unique Get Fire Ready events of the year, given the rawness of events being built upon for the future while surrounded by scars of black trees and memories of what went before for this community. The feedback from the Upton Hill congregation was informative, and the professionalism and care on hand from the four CFA convenors made the two hours very productive and unifying.