Fire training props turn up the heat

SPECIALISED equipment in Dereel is allowing CFA members to complete hot fire training.

Mobile containers designed to light up on LPG gas have been set up in the town’s Bushfire Place of Last Resort.

Brigade captain Rob Hill said the props allowed members to upskill in their regions.

“From our point of view here at Dereel, we could either go to Ballan or travel all the way down to Penshurst,” he said.

“So having those training props here in the middle of Dereel for a month allows us and our new recruits to do hot fire training and simulated attacks and stuff like that.”

The containers, which hold simulated industrial engines and large pressure vessels, allow CFA members different firefighting scenarios.

This month, women firefighters from District 7 along with members from across the Leigh fire brigade group used the containers.

“Dereel’s pretty isolated, so we don’t participate in a lot of these nights,” Hill said. “Having everyone come up to us and have a really good night and stuff is great for networking.

“There’s not often you’re going to get anywhere from like five to 10 different brigades at a set event in one spot other than at a fire.”

Such a networking experience had benefits in actual fires, Hill said.

“If they see each other on the fire ground later, there’s a comfort there,” he said. “You can have more confidence ’cause you’ve trained with them, you know them, there’s people you can recognise straight away.

“It adds to safety, recognition, and comfort and everything, but obviously the training aspect too.”

Hill said the props were valuable tools members could use to prepare themselves against fire.

“It’s not theory-based or sitting there in front of screens and PowerPoints and stuff, it’s something we can get hands-on,” he said.

The brigade hosted another women’s network night on Thursday 28 May, and has other events until the end of June.