CFA’s eye on heat

By Monique Ebrington
HEALESVILLE Masonic Lodge snapped into action when they heard that Healesville Fire Brigade needed a thermal imaging camera.
David Wells, the Master of the Healesville Lodge, recently presented Healesville CFA captain Graham Bates with a cheque for $8,002.
Mr Wells said the sum was raised through independent donations, the lodge having a fund-raising games night and the Grand Lodge Board of Benevolence matching the games night total of $3802 on a dollar for dollar basis.
“Several Healesville businesses supported the games night with donations along with other corporations and our own lodge members,” said Mr Wells.
“It was amazing how much support we received.”
He said Healesville Lodge has donated approximately $35,000 to community groups in Healesville over the last three years.
In 2007 the lodge supported Anglicare; in 2008 the SES and this year the CFA.
“We have supported community organisations within Healesville that are predominantly volunteer based and who also need to raise the bulk of the funding required themselves,” he said.
“It’s basically the whole community who benefit from the groups we support.”
Mr Bates said the donation contributed to the brigade purchasing the thermal imaging camera before the next fire danger season.
“If we go into a house fire we can turn it on and it picks the source of the fire,” said Mr Bates.
“It also picks up body temperature, so if a room’s full of smoke we will know where and if there is someone in the room.
“For bushfires it will tell us if any stumps or tree roots under the ground are burning, so when we leave we know that everything is out.
“It will make our job so much safer and easier and it will help get the guys back home and back to their families quicker.
“The effort the community has put in to help us is just magic.”