SOFIA Leat-Hagart might not be the person you picture when you think of a volunteer firefighter, but it\u2019s everyday people like her the Maiden Gully Fire Brigade are calling on during their recruitment drive.<\/p>\n
The 20-year-old health science student joined the MGFB two years ago with no prior experience but a passion for helping her community.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to become a nurse and paramedic, so this was my way of helping the community out as soon as possible,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got into the CFA to see if I could handle being a first responder and first on scene and since the moment I\u2019ve done it, I\u2019ve absolutely loved it.\u201d<\/p>\n
When her family\u2019s Gippsland home caught fire in 2016, endangering the lives of her mother, grandmother and pets, Ms Leat-Hagart said she knew her life\u2019s calling was in emergency services at just 15 years old.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mum dropped me off at school and she came back and was sitting in the driveway listening to the nine o\u2019clock news,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe heard tapping coming from the house and thought it was one of our cats wanting to get out.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe 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\u2019s not as able bodied. My mum pretty much had to drag my grandma out.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe firefighters down there said in another minute they would have gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
In her two years as a volunteer firefighter, Ms Leat-Hagart said her most memorable moment was when she brought a friend\u2019s young sister down to safety after she become stuck in a tree.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s encouraging anyone with the desire and time to help the MGFB to \u201cabsolutely go for it\u201d.<\/p>\n
MGFB treasurer Andrew Howlett said his team was looking to fill active firefighter positions made available after older volunteers took on support roles recently.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe like to keep an operational capability of 30 trained firefighters and at the moment we\u2019ve got about 26,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
On average, the brigade attends to about 50 incidents each year including structure fires, car fires, car accidents and local grass or bush fires.<\/p>\n
\u201cI find it really rewarding,\u201d Mr Howlett said. \u201cSometimes you\u2019ll go to fires and you\u2019ll 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
More information can also be found by searching Maiden Gully Fire Brigade on Facebook.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SOFIA Leat-Hagart might not be the person you picture when you think of a volunteer firefighter, but it\u2019s 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 […]<\/p>\n