By Kietley Isrin
The Hawkesbury Gazette
HAWKESBURY, Australia — Armed with pumps and hoses, hundreds of volunteer firefighters took over the Hawkesbury like wildfire on the weekend for the 25th Rural Fire Services District Field Day Championships.
About 400 firefighters and friends and family from the Hawkesbury district came out in force to attend the annual event at Macquarie Park in Windsor on Sunday. But it wasn’t all fun and games.
The heat was on as brigades showed off their abilities and skills, competing head-to-head in four different events.
One of them was an aviation simulation of a plane crash, another was a pumping exercise where firefighters had to pump water from a distance to a building structure.
“The day was a great success and enjoyed by all who came,” Hawkesbury RFS operations officer Max Ryan said.
“Not only was it a great training opportunity for our brigades but also a great social opportunity. It ticked all the boxes and achieved all the outcomes we had hoped for.
“We also had a number of juniors take part in the day’s events including representatives from Cumberland and Warringah areas.”
But in the end it was Freemans Reach Brigade which rose above the flames, taking out this year’s competition, followed by Grose Vale and Tennyson in second place and Blaxland Ridge and Yarramundi taking home the bronze.
Meanwhile, Grose Wold, Lower Portland, Colo Heights and Blaxland Ridge brigades were also recognised on the day when they were presented with their new bushfire trucks and vehicles.
“These new vehicles are replacing older style models and will allow firefighters to continue to provide a high level of emergency service to the Hawkesbury area,” NSW RFS assistant commissioner Dominic Lane said.
“The combined worth of the four vehicles being handed to these brigades today is around $850,000, putting these brigades in good stead ahead of what is shaping up to be a busy fire season.”
The NSW RFS has warned that following widespread rainfall around the state there is a lot of vegetation and grass growth that could provide the ideal conditions for fire when it dries out.
“We are already starting to see a steady increase in fire activity and the bushfire season has not officially started in many parts of the state yet,” assistant commissioner Lane said.
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