Spots open at local brigade

SOFIA Leat-Hagart might not be the person you picture when you think of a volunteer firefighter, but it’s everyday people like her the Maiden Gully Fire Brigade are calling on during their recruitment drive.

The 20-year-old health science student joined the MGFB two years ago with no prior experience but a passion for helping her community.

“I want to become a nurse and paramedic, so this was my way of helping the community out as soon as possible,” she said.

“I got into the CFA to see if I could handle being a first responder and first on scene and since the moment I’ve done it, I’ve absolutely loved it.”

When her family’s Gippsland home caught fire in 2016, endangering the lives of her mother, grandmother and pets, Ms Leat-Hagart said she knew her life’s calling was in emergency services at just 15 years old.

“My mum dropped me off at school and she came back and was sitting in the driveway listening to the nine o’clock news,” she said.

“She heard tapping coming from the house and thought it was one of our cats wanting to get out.

“She’s gotten out of the car, gone around and seen smoke starting to come out of the windows. She opened the front door and the house was engulfed in flames.

“She had to then run around to the back of the house to try and get my grandma who was inside at the time and she’s not as able bodied. My mum pretty much had to drag my grandma out.

“The firefighters down there said in another minute they would have gone.”

In her two years as a volunteer firefighter, Ms Leat-Hagart said her most memorable moment was when she brought a friend’s young sister down to safety after she become stuck in a tree.

She’s encouraging anyone with the desire and time to help the MGFB to “absolutely go for it”.

MGFB treasurer Andrew Howlett said his team was looking to fill active firefighter positions made available after older volunteers took on support roles recently.

“We like to keep an operational capability of 30 trained firefighters and at the moment we’ve got about 26,” he said.

The brigade is looking for anyone over the age of 16 with weekday availability like students, self-employed or semi-retired people, or those working from home.

On average, the brigade attends to about 50 incidents each year including structure fires, car fires, car accidents and local grass or bush fires.

“I find it really rewarding,” Mr Howlett said. “Sometimes you’ll go to fires and you’ll save a house or go to a grass fire and you get in, go in hard and stop it spreading and save it from damaging things.”

With 48 years of experience in firefighting, 23 of those at the Maiden Gully base, Mr Howlett said prospective volunteers could be in the truck themselves after four to five months of training.

Those interested in joining the MGFB should head to their information night tonight, Thursday 9 December at 7.30pm at 5 Lower Beckhams Road, Maiden Gully.

More information can also be found by searching Maiden Gully Fire Brigade on Facebook.