Firies to open doors for first time in three years

GEELONG’S western suburb residents will have the chance to meet its local firefighters this Sunday and get a glimpse behind the local brigade’s doors.

The Geelong West Fire Brigade’s annual Open Day is back again for the first time in three years and Brigade captain Paul Cockerill is eager to meet the local community he and his team selflessly serve.

“We have in the past seen a large number of the public come through the doors for our open day, but obviously we’ve had a quiet couple of years, so we’re back in the swing of things and we have no doubts it will be a great day,” Mr Cockerill said.

Open days have increased in frequency around Geelong with CFA Grovedale the most recent brigade to host its open day.

However, community engagement days similar to this become more important towards the end of the year said Mr Cockerill, as fire danger warnings start to take effect.

“When the rain starts to ease off, we are going to be seeing a lot of grass growth, so that will be a major focus point when we are informing residents of fire safety at home,” he added.

“Simply, we would just recommend following the preparation tips offered on the CFA website.

“We’ll also be putting it out there [that] the option to join the local brigade is available, we’re pretty strong in numbers at the moment, but we’re aware of other nearby stations in need of volunteers.”

Geelong West Fire Brigade and its 45 active volunteers have been called out to 233 separate jobs this year and a vehicle was deployed to assist with the severe flooding in Echuca.

Mr Cockerill said the callouts provide a chance for his team to contribute their service back to the area.

“It’s the reason why we joined, to give back to the community,” he said.

“We are here for the community, we’re from the community, a lot of us work within the community, so this is how we repay the community.

“The skills we learn also reward us in our private lives and that’s what it’s all about, so we hope to share that with anyone at the open day.”

The open day will be open to the public from 10am-4pm at 67B McCurdy Road, Herne Hill with firefighting displays to headline proceedings.