Local brigade needs volunteers

LEFT: L-R: Torquay Fire Brigade volunteers Jack Tingiri, Justin Resuggan, interim captain Cameron Martin, Jackson Dawson, and Alex Kilpatrick out the front of the brigade's base on Grossmans Road. Photos: VINNIE VAN OORSCHOT

PREPARATIONS ahead of a busy summer period have begun and Torquay Fire Brigade is calling out for volunteers ahead of a forecast drier than usual fire season.

Interim brigade captain Cameron Martin and said the brigade has 40 operational members and 50 members in total, with a core group of 20 who regularly turned out to calls.

“It’s a great opportunity to join our community, gain new skills, ones that are also transferrable into the workforce as well.

“It’s also a good chance to build different relationships with people in the Torquay and Jan Juc areas, as well as the Country Fire Authority (CFA) – people of all different backgrounds.”

It usually takes six months to become a fire-ready volunteer in the CFA, but Mr Martin said the process can be reduced to as little as six weeks.

“Usually we can tailor the recruitment to the individual, but it depends on the individual’s circumstances and how much time and effort they can put into the process,” Mr Martin said.

“Coming up, District 7 will be supplying courses for incoming General Firefighter (GFF) members to help get their tick offs done ahead of summer season.”

Torquay Fire Brigade interim captain Cameron Martin has almost 10 years of CFA experience.

Local CFA brigades across the Surf Coast are bracing for what will be a higher-risk bushfire season after the Bureau of Meteorology declared an El Nino weather event under a fortnight ago.

Torquay’s interim captain said it hds been eight years since Australia last experienced El Nino conditions and CFA volunteers were training hard for the greater risk of bushfires.

“We had a very seasoned brigade list the last time we were in an El Nino event, that has changed now since COVID-19.

“But these types of events provide a great chance to get out the door and it gives members the chance to put their skills into practice.

“We’ve already started our pre-summer training due to the seasonal forecast, so everyone here is already ticked off and the brigade is operationally ready.”

Anyone interested in serving the community through the CFA can do so by heading to cfa.vic.gov.au/volunteers-careers or by saying hello to the brigade at training on a Tuesday at 7.30pm.

Torquay Fire Brigade is located at 19 Grossmans Road, Torquay.