Thankyou, to CFA volunteer firefighters
14 March 2016
Now that the summer weather is on it’s way out, we can reflect on the hot summer that we’ve had, and the dangerous bushfire condition experienced across a lot of the country. There hasn’t been too many fires across Victoria this summer, though there was one large bushfire near and around Wye river (near Lorne), along the Great Ocean Road. It was out of control for quite a while, and over christmas, and destryoted more than 100 homes 🙁
Thankfully, no lives were lost in the Wye river fire, and the emergency evacuation procedures ran smoothly. It took many firefighters to help get the fires under control, and much effort on behalf of firefighters and their families.
My heart goes out to anyone who lost their homes and businesses in the fire, or who were under threat from the fire. And, I’d like to send out a big Thankyou to all the CFA firefighters, who volunteer their time, and go in harm’s way, to help others.
I went for a drive along the Great Ocean Road past Wye river, in January, soon after the road was re-opened.. And driving past all the fire affected area, I thought how it’s lucky that no one was hurt. I’d also like to thank anyone who was driving along the Great Ocean Road after it was re-opened, and followed the advice of the authorities and the media to not stop in certain places along the road, and to not take photos of burned areas near houses, to share on social media.. Imagine, someone who had lost their house seeing someone else posting a photo of the rubble left where they used to live.. So thankyou to all who didn’t take photos.
And mostly, a Thankyou to all of the men and women who are CFA volunteers , and their families. It’s a wonderful thing that you do! If anyone knows a volunteer firefighter, please respect what they do, and give them a big Thankyou.
There were a lot of other small fires, that were put out by CFA firefighters before they became a threat to farms, homes, and communities, that most people didn’t even know was there, so they are providing a much needed service.
While the risk of fire is over for now, make sure that if you are travelling into country areas next summer, or communities where bushfire might be a risk, that you travel safe (yes, as well as having safe sex, it’s important to travel safe!) by checking the emergency victoria map, here, or downloading the free CFA fireready app on your iphone.
On the bright side, there is a good-news story from the Wye river bushfires. A couple who had lost their home in the fire, had their cat, Muppet, return home 24 days later. As they would have thought Muppet was gone, this would have been a very welcome relief to find that he was alive, and okay 🙂
Once again, a big Thankyou, to all CFA volunteers.
