Hillcrest CFA: (Rear: from left) Kate Warne, Colin Warne, Hans Petry, Adam Grimsley, Chloe Gawronski, Daniel Walton, Alan Cousins, Pat Laws, Gary Shotter, Anita Milburn. (Centre) Ken
Mail journalist
Kath Gannaway
continues her series
documenting the
experiences of CFA
volunteers on Black
Saturday. This week she talks to Hillcrest CFA
captain Rick Shaw about 7 February and the lessons learned in its
aftermath.
RICK Shaw has been a firefighter for 33 years, so he wasn’t surprised by the firestorm of Black Saturday.
That’s not to say he wasn’t shocked.
“Major fires like we had on 7 February had been anticipated for some time,” he says. “With the weather on the day, it wasn’t surprising, but it was still a shock to see that degree of devastation.”
Mr Shaw is captain of Hillcrest CFA, the brigade formed in November 2007 combining Woori Yallock and the previously amalgamated Launching Place and Don Valley fire brigades.
Hillcrest may be new, but there is a wealth of experience, along with the enthusiastic new recruits who experienced what Mr Shaw describes as a very real baptism of fire in February.
At the end of a week that saw temperatures soar, brigade members gathered on the Friday night for a briefing and to formulate a plan for the weekend ahead.
“We were well and truly aware of the anticipated magnitude of the day – whether anybody could fully realise the severity of the weather is another issue, but I believe that pre-planning stood us in good stead,” Mr Shaw said.
Members kept commitments for the Saturday to a minimum and manned Hillcrest’s Don Valley and Woori Yallock stations.
There were a number of false alarms in the early part of the day – people reporting smoke from the Kilmore fires.
There was no doubt however that a call to a fire in Gruyere was the real thing.
From Saturday into Sunday Hillcrest members joined firefighters from all around the valley at Gruyere, Coldstream, Chum Creek, Yarra Glen, Steels Creek and Tarrawarra.
Mr Shaw said at one stage all four appliances were out in different areas encountering all sorts of different situations.
“It was pretty hectic from the time of the first turnout through to the Sunday morning when you could finally take a breath and work out where you were and what you were up to,” he said.
“It’s so full-on when you’re involved in that sort of situation you are just totally focused on making sure your crews are safe and doing the job at hand.
“It’s when you knock off, or have a change of shift you find out what’s going on.” Not knowing the extent of the tragedy engulfing Kinglake, Steels Creek and Marysville was something to be grateful for.
As the threat skewed to the Upper Yarra Valley, almost surrounded on three sides by fires, Hillcrest volunteers were part of the army of firefighters from CFA, DSE, overseas and interstate, whose lives were put on hold from February into March.
There are indications lessons have been learnt from the events of 7 February. Mr Shaw said the five or so fireguard meetings run by Hillcrest prior to February attracted just three or four people.
Sixty people attended the one meeting they have run since the fires.
We’re putting a very high priority on pre-planning within the brigade for response as well as helping the community prepare for the next season,” Mr Shaw said.
In areas that are not easily protected or defended he says a complete rethink is needed.
“That comes down to shire, community, CFA and householder all having to rethink preparations for areas like that – including perhaps the need to look at the whole fire refuge issue,” he said.
