Volunteering is a family affair

AFTER seeing how much his wife was enjoying being a volunteer for the Heathcote Fire Brigade, Rhys Ashen decided he would join too.

Mr Ashen has been a member of the CFA for 18 months.

“My wife had joined a year earlier and was always coming home from training telling me stories as well as how much fun she was having and what a good group it was,” Mr Ashen said.

“That made me want to get involved as well.

“Being so accepted by the brigade and its members has been a highlight.

“It is great being able to help the community in its time of need.”

Mr Ashen has gained a lot of experience from other volunteers in the brigade.

“I try to have time for most people within the CFA,” he said.

“Everyone has a different experience, ideas and is eager to pass on their knowledge.

“I like to be able to listen to their ideas and draw from their knowledge in a wide range of scenarios as well as my own experiences.

“From an individual point of view, Duncs (Peter Duncan) has always got time to help me train and further my understanding of ideas, be confident and run through scenarios.

“Captain Carl Watkins has been great.

“Going to jobs with him and seeing how he operates is great.

“He is always looking at what may potentially happen, planning five steps ahead and has a contingency plan in place if something comes up.”

Attending his first major fire taught Mr Ashen a lot.

“My first real fire where it wasn’t just blacking out, had a big impact on me,” he said.

“There was a fire near Heathcote on a property where there were a lot of pine trees and the fallen pine needles had caught alight.

“The incident saw a number of CFA crews, FFMV (Forest Fire Management Victoria) as well as Helitak waterbombing from the air and finished using the thermal imaging camera to find remaining hot spots once the fire was extinguished.

“The fire wasn’t fast-moving so I was able to learn a lot on that job.”

New volunteers are always needed, and Mr Ashen highly recommends volunteering with the fire brigade.

“You are always learning,” he said. “No matter how much you think you don’t know, you know more than you did yesterday and will continue to learn throughout your time.

“We have members in the brigade who have been there over 50 years and they are still learning – especially new ways to utilise technology.”

In his spare time, Mr Ashen likes to spend time with his family, watch his kids’ sport and activities as well as his own sport and adventures.

Anyone who would like to find out more about volunteering with the CFA can contact community safety coordinator Evan Pritchard on [email protected] or call 0417 178 658.