Public meeting draws results

SIXTY members of the Redesdale community attended a special meeting last week, to discuss the future of Redesdale CFA.

Brigade members were pleased with the response.

“Numbers are down,” said Redesdale Fire Brigade secretary Geoff Thomas.

“Out of 43 members only 10 are actually able to go out and fight fires due to age and health concerns.

“So, we asked the question ‘What would happen if our brigade folded?’

“If our brigade wasn’t available, units from Heathcote or Axedale would have to attend fires in Redesdale and the extra time it would take could mean the difference between saving properties, getting fires under control and perhaps even losing lives.

“It prompted a great response to our community meeting and 13 new volunteers signed up.

“They will need to be trained, and we older members will be nurturing the new and young members.

“Attracting and keeping volunteers is a general problem in many communities.

“Besides being able to help your local community, volunteer fire fighters can learn great skills, useful in other aspects of their lives.”

Mr Thomas said that while the Fire Service Levy situation is being felt by many brigades around the state, for Redesdale the main concern was based around the number of volunteers in the brigade.

“In order to continue to provide this community service, our community needs to be prepared to support us,” he said.

“We need more fire fighters to fill our trucks and more volunteers to help get trucks and uniforms washed after a turnout.

“We all have strong opinions about the levy and there was some debate.

“As volunteers we sacrifice time with family and friends and put our lives on the line during an emergency.

“We genuinely want to do something for our community, and we don’t get paid for it.

“It has been quite depressing seeing the numbers fall so it was heartening to get support from the community and new volunteers.

“We have a good balance of men and women in our brigade and five of our new recruits are women.”

Anyone who is interested in joining Redesdale CFA can contact Mr Thomas on 0429 143 490.