General News
12 June, 2024
Regional firies pulling the fundraising strings
One of the Wimmera's smallest communities is punching way above its weight in its support of the town's firies.
Jung Fire Brigade is benefiting from the state government’s Volunteer Emergency Services Equipment Program (VESEP), this year having been able to add a side-by-side vehicle to its fleet.
The program gives $2 for every $1 of funding raised by a brigade or group up to a maximum contribution of $150,000.
Jung brigade captain Chris Pallot has worked hard over the years to secure VESEP-funded equipment: a Nissan Patrol ultralight in 2015, a tyre inflation system for the brigade's medium tanker in 2020 and the side-by-side vehicle (SSV) this year.
“We’re very fortunate when it comes to raising money,” Mr Pallot said.
“There are a couple of large companies in our response area which we protect.
"I emailed them explaining what equipment we needed, and these two emails raised $5000 for the brigade."
Mr Pallot said the brigade had also sold chocolates, collected car and truck batteries for recycling and raffled a trailer of firewood at a local market.
"We’ve done all sorts of things to raise money,” he said.
During the 2014 Grampians fires, the Jung tanker was on strike team duty and Jung brigade members wanted to find a way for the brigade to respond in its local area.
The brigade applied for a VESEP grant to buy an ultralight was considered perfect.
“We contributed about $22,000 towards the ultralight in 2015 and it's been an invaluable asset,” Mr Pallot said.
“We have a lot of swampy country with trees close together and we can be in tight spaces to fight a running fire.
“We try to send the ultralight out the door first and aim to knock down a fire quickly or protect property quickly.
"It’s easier to manoeuvre than a tanker and is perfect for rapid response."
There’s a lot of sand in District 17 with the Little Desert and Big Desert, and Jung brigade borders both.
To help with response in this environment, the district has dedicated sand tankers.
Jung brigade doesn’t have a sand tanker but thanks to a VESEP grant it has the next best thing: a tyre inflation system that was retrofitted at the Horsham DMO workshop in early 2020.
“When we’re going into sand we can deflate the tyres with the push of a button,” Mr Pallot said.
“This gives us a bigger footprint and increases traction, which is safer for the firefighters.
"We’ve also used this inflation system to pull out bogged trucks while working in sandy conditions.”
As well as fighting fires, Jung brigade has a keen focus on vegetation management which benefits the town and surrounding communities.
The brigade, along with the vegetation management officer and rail operator, work co-operatively to ensure this vital vegetation management takes place to protect Jung township.
In the future, the new VESEP-funded SSV will be used to speed up this task and improve the welfare of brigade members.
It could also be used to help with rescues in the Grampians or at Mount Arapiles.
“It’s better to have modern equipment that can get the job done more quickly and safely," Mr Pallot said.