Firefighters battled a restaurant fire which spread to five other businesses in the shopping strip of coastal Torquay late last weekend.

The CFA was called to the fire on Gilbert Street at Torquay at 11.22pm on Sunday night, April 14.

On arrival, firefighters found the restaurant well alight and it was impacting neighbouring shops.

A woman living above a neighbouring unaffected shop was assessed by Ambulance Victoria on scene.

The fire was brought under control at 3am and declared safe at 8:16am.

District 7 Commander Wayne Aylmer said sadly six shops were destroyed by the fire.

“Firefighters worked hard to stop further spread of the fire and were able to save the supermarket behind the shops.”

The cause was not believed to be suspicious but investigations have been continuing and were expected to take some time due to the extent of the damage.

CFA had 13 vehicles on scene supported by FRV crews.

Words & Image: CFA

Six CFA brigades from the west of the state have undertaken a planned burn around the townships of Cape Clear, Rokewood Junction and Mannibadar in recent days. 

Members completed a 20km planned burn along the Rokewood-Skipton Rd a couple of weekends ago. 

West Region Vegetation Management Officer Kay Richardson said the burn brought together 30 volunteers from the Grenville Group and an additional five members from the Planned Burn Taskforce. 

“This road has been identified in the landscape as a long, linear break to help impede the run of fire, and provide an opportunity to assist crews in suppressing any unplanned fire,” she said. 

Kay said Rokewood-Skipton Rd also supports isolated pockets of valuable native grassland.   

“Planned burning helps these grasslands by reducing biomass to increase condition, resilience, and diversity of native species along the roadside,” she said. 

“The burn went better than expected, especially given the area had received up to 50mm of rain in the days leading up to it.  

“By the end of the day, volunteers had treated over 20 kms of roadside, on both sides, successfully reducing grassy fuels and have helped invigorate areas of native grassland that had not been burnt for several years.” 

Brigades involved included Smythesdale, Linton, Cape Clear, Mannibadar, Rokewood Junction and Wallinduc. 

The Rokewood-Skipton Road is a strategic fire break that is treated by brigades on behalf of the Department of Transport and Planning. 

For several years now, the CFA has partnered with the Bellarine Catchment Network and the Borough of Queenscliff to carry out fuel reduction and woody weed removal in an area called The Narrows at coastal Queenscliff.

The program has been a great success in not only reducing fuel loads and protecting infrastructure assets and buildings, but also protecting and enhancing the biodiversity of Coastal Moonah Woodland, which is listed as ‘Threatened’ in Victoria.

Sustained manual efforts to remove the introduced woody weeds – a range of hardy plants that are difficult to eradicate – has resulted in improved biodiversity, with numerous fire-retardant, indigenous plants returning to the site. These include Seaberry Saltbush, Coast Bonefruit and Bower Spinach, which are known for their succulent form and have fire-retardant characteristics.

Matt Crawley from Bellarine Catchment Network said the locals had made a great effort to improve this area.

“Over the past year we have had nine community weeding sessions involving 71 community members and four schools,” Matt said. 

“This has led to weed control, reduced fuel loads and an engaged community better connected to their local patch. Without the support of CFA and Borough of Queenscliff, projects like this would not have the resources to protect our valuable natural environment and townships that are adjacent to them.”

This program will continue in 2024, with follow-up weed maintenance, monitoring the flora and conducting surveys. 

“This program is a great example of community, local government and CFA collaborating to share ideas and resources to turn a significant problem into a long-term solution,” CFA’s South West Region Vegetation Management Officer Phil Campbell said.

Words: CFA. Image: Supplied

The Warrandyte CFA is highlighting the importance of having a working smoke alarm after attending four separate house fires in just four weeks.

CFA alongside FRV attended house fires in East Doncaster, Park Orchards, North Warrandyte and Warrandyte over the last month. 

CFA responded to a two-storey brick house fire in East Doncaster on 10 March. Around half of the home was damaged. 

Just over a week later, on 19 March, CFA supported FRV crews at a two-storey house fire in Park Orchards.    

On 30 March, CFA was then called to a house fire in North Warrandyte. Around 35 per cent of the house was destroyed.  

Most recently, on 5 April CFA responded to a house fire in Warrandyte which destroyed the single storey brick home.  

Warrandyte Captain Will Hodgson said it was rare to have significant fires in separate incidents over a short period of time. 

“My first message to the community is make sure you have a working smoke alarm and home fire plan, secondly, we need to be safe when lighting fires indoors, like fireplaces,” he said. 

“Never use accelerants on an open fire, it can cause significant injury or worse. 

“With the way we live today, we need to charge things, mobile phones, computers, tools. Be aware of where they are, and it’s a good idea to have them switched off when not at home.” 

Thankfully, all occupants of the homes evacuated safety.  

Words: CFA. Image: Supplied.

The Fire Danger Period (FDP) will finish at 1am on Monday, April 22 in the Hepburn Shire, the CFA has declared.

While restrictions are lifting in these areas, CFA still expects the grassfire risk to remain across the state, so Victorians need to be alert and prepared.

CFA District 10 Assistant Chief Fire Officer Aaron Worcester said recent rainfall has allowed for fire restrictions to ease.

“Due to the wet weather over the last couple of weeks, conditions are now more favourable for residents to burn off,” Aaron said.

“Farm paddocks are starting to green up, and it is now safer for landowners to clean up their properties from recent storm damage and take the opportunity to reduce fuel loads ahead of next summer.”

It is important that residents check that local conditions are safe before undertaking these activities.

You must still register your burn-offs, check weather conditions and follow local council laws, as well as EPA laws and applicable regulations.

“Registering your burn-off ensures that if smoke or fire is reported, the incident is cross-checked with our register, which prevents firefighters from unnecessarily responding,” Aaron said.

“When conducting burn-offs, remain alert and always have resources on hand to extinguish the fire.”

Nella is one very lucky rolden retriever after being retrieved herself, from a very hairy predicament earlier this month.

Torquay and Bellbrae CFA units joined forces with their counterparts on Tuesday April 2 in a multi-agency high angle excercise to rescue the dog from atop a cliff face at Bells Beach.

At around 12.27pm that day CFA units alongside SES and Fire Rescue Victoria had responded to reports of a dog stuck on the edge of a cliff on Bells Beach Road in Bells Beach.

Two-year-old golden retriever and beach enthusiast Nella had wandered from her owner, Taryn, in a Bells Beach carpark that adjoined a walking track, before finding herself stranded on a ledge, 10 metres down a cliff just above the water.  

CFA District 7 Commander Nick Callan said an anchor point was set up for the high angle rescue team to retrieve Nella, with two firefighters required for the daring rescue.

Nella safely ascended to the top of the cliff at around 3.28pm in a gear clothing bag with the crew members, before being reunited with a much-relieved Taryn and her husband Matt who had been at the bottom of the cliff on the beach keeping Nella calm.

Torquay Fire Brigade 2nd Lieutenant David Muir said it was a good ending, with everyone safe and secure, and that the family was very grateful for the work of the agencies after an emotional few hours.

Words & Images: CFA

Regional brigade administrative support officer and CFA volunteer with Orbost brigade and Orbost’s Group Secretary, Kylie Findley is happy to help anyone who walks into her office – staff or volunteer.

“As Arnold Schwarzenegger says in his book Be Useful – Seven tools for life, ‘You’ll get more satisfaction from having improved your neighbourhood, your town, your state, your country, and your fellow human beings than you’ll ever get from your muscles, your figure, your automobile, your house, or your credit rating’.”

Kylie was in CFA’s first intake of corporate peers, completing training online during the COVID-19 pandemic. As well as giving one-on-one support, Kylie has provided peer support during and after major disasters including in Bendigo and Echuca during the 2022 floods.

“Rocking up to a pump station where our members had been sitting for hours and having a chat and running an errand for them was great,” Kylie said.

“When members from my district came in for a meal break, it was like a reunion; they were so glad to see me. Just to sit and talk, give them some relief – chocolate – and a laugh; just being there to make them feel valuable was so impactful.

“There is a perception that peers are only there when someone is down, but we are there to remind everyone that they matter, that they are valuable and that we are there for them.”

Kylie is a strong advocate for the Peer Support Program and encourages other members to join.

“If you have ever thought about being a peer, express your interest, take the opportunity, and run with it. It will enrich your life as well as the lives of the people we serve.”

Tim Phillips has been a volunteer for more than 30 years. He is 1st lieutenant at Digby Fire Brigade, deputy group officer for Merino Group and a BASO in District 4.

“When we come home from a traumatic event, sometimes we need to have that chat to help manage our thoughts,” Tim said.

“As emergency responders, my father and I have always had each other to talk to – I wanted to provide the same service to others.”

Tim is a peer with both the volunteer and corporate peer teams as well as a deputy peer coordinator.

“Mental health is such a huge issue in society. We all have things going on at home and in life and we can all suffer from the black dog. I have always been someone who people feel they can approach to get things off their chests, and I want to be there for those who need to talk.”

Tim recalls a group Psychological First Aid session he and another peer had with a brigade that had responded to a car accident.

“We sat and talked through their experiences, giving those who wanted to the chance to tell their own story. After the session the group officer called to thank us for the time we spent with the members.

“To have the feeling you actually made a difference to someone in their time of need gives you such an overwhelming sense of achievement.”

Tim said there were many reasons to talk to a peer, and sometimes the mere act of reaching out was enough to help people move forward.

“People often hesitate to seek professional help due to stigma. Peers can help reduce that anxiety and encourage people to reach out for further support.

“We can’t give you all the answers. Sometimes people have the answers already and they just need a non-judgemental ear to allow them to get things off their mind, process their thoughts and take the next steps.”

The CFA has led a multi-agency exercise to test and strengthen how emergency services respond to mass casualty incidents similar to the 2023 Eynesbury bus incident.

The exercise, conducted earlier this month, was a huge undertaking with 90 first responders from CFA, SES, Ambulance Victoria, Victoria Police and St Johns Ambulance taking part as well as 27 students from La Trobe University who acted as casualties.

Trawool Captain Sean Kerris said the exercise required significant planning and wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work of all involved.

“It was a challenge to bring the exercise vision to life but the learnings will be invaluable for our first responders,” he said.

“Our emergency service personnel will have a better understanding and ability to navigate very confronting emergencies if they arise after this exercise.”

First responders were first briefed on the scenario when the exercise got underway to ensure their response was as realistic as possible.

The scenario involved a hypothetical bus accident in which the bus driver suffered a cardiac arrest whilst in transit.

The bus then veered off the road as a result and into the back of a music festival hitting several campers.

There were more than 30 passengers on board the bus at the time who suffered injuries of varying degrees from the bus rollover.

The scenario was influenced by recent tragic events such as the 2023 Eynesbury bus incident and the 2023 Hunter Valley NSW incident.

The objective of the exercise was to test and improve the way emergency services work together when responding to large scale emergencies.

VICSES Seymour Unit Controller Christine Welsh said it’s important VICSES volunteers are prepared for any scenario and these exercises play a vital role in upskilling and nurturing important inter-agency teamwork.

“These relationships are particularly important in regional areas and have been an ongoing focus of VICSES’ Seymour Unit volunteers over the last 12 months.

“VICSES volunteers pride themselves on being there to support their communities during a challenging emergency response, and these training exercises only strengthen that resolve.”

The scenario was chosen because music festivals are commonly held within the region and the scale of such events can present unique challenges for emergency responders.

The exercise required high level coordination and was supported by Seymour Coaches, Seymour Caravans & Trailers, Rotary Club, Seymour RSL, Seymour Performers Workshop, Cox Solid Civil and Mitchell Shire Council in addition to emergency service organisations.

More than 30 people were on site in a supporting capacity earlier this month in Trawool.

Image & Words: Supplied

CFA volunteers that fought the recent fires in the west of Victoria were recently given an opportunity by the Western Bulldogs Football Club to thank them for their service.

At the recent AFL round 2 match, Western Bulldogs vs Gold Coast Suns, CFA volunteers formed the Guard of Honour and did the coin toss.

CFA Deputy Chief Officer West Region Brett Boatman said the gesture from the Western Bulldogs was warmly received.

“The west of the state has had a hard couple of months and our volunteers have worked tirelessly to protect their communities,” Brett said.

“Our volunteers involvement in the Western Bulldogs game on home turf is a fantastic gesture and recognises the hours of time our volunteers have given and reinforces the Bulldogs strong connection to the west.”

Sheep stud farmer Ellie McDonald, 25, from Dadswells Bridge Fire Brigade was chosen to do the coin toss and while an Essendon supporter, was thrilled to be picked.

“On the 13 February the first call came through about 11.30am and we saw the smoke and knew this was going to be a big day,” Ellie said.

“We quickly rang a lot of the locals – the vulnerable ones we thought would be in danger and anyone else we could think of to get them out of the way.”

“We saved one house and went up the road to help out.”

The crew with Ellie worked from 11.30am to 12.30am.

Dadswells Bridge is a small community up of about 20 homes. During the recent fire one home and several sheds were burnt.

Ellie owns a stud farm with 800 acres of land and about 270 breeding stud sheep. On 13 February 30 sheep were burnt and only two paddocks on her farm were not burnt.

“It could have gone very differently,” Ellie said.

Ellie joined the CFA when she was 16 years old in 2015 and is now the first lieutenant.

“If you’re in the local community, it’s something you’ve got to do and it’s good catching up with the locals all the time.

“It’s about sharing the load – if you are available you go.”

20 CFA volunteers made of the Guard of Honour on Sunday March 24 and 100 CFA volunteers were offered general admission.

Words & Image: CFA

After 11 years of supporting the Good Friday Appeal, this year’s appeal was particularly special for Wendouree CFA firefighter Ryan Patrikeos.

Last month, his newborn Sophia, just six weeks old, was taken to the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) for an operation.

Ryan and his wife Maddie knew something wasn’t right when Sofia kept vomiting, after taking her to the GP, it was recommended their first born go to the RCH.

Sophia was diagnosed with pyloric stenosis, a condition that blocks the small intestine, just one in 500 babies are diagnosed with it. 

The operation took place just days after Ryan was on a strike team for the recent fires around Beaufort.

Ryan said he was nervous going to the hospital, but knew they were in the best place they could be.

Now, Ryan wants to raise awareness of how important the work the hospital does to help babies like Sophia.

“I kind of felt like we were their priority, I know there were other kids at the hospital but at the time it didn’t feel like that because the care was absolutely awesome,” he said.

“It makes me emotional thinking about it, the care we were given. They are a sensational group of doctors and nurses there.”

He said now Sophia was back to being the baby she was before she got sick.

“It’s been amazing to see how far she has come and the recovery she has made has been incredible,” he said.

“She is now back home and smiling and cuddling.”

Prior to the recent Good Friday Appeal this month, he urged others to get behind the annual fundraiser to help other children.

“I am a massive community man, always have to be helping someone or something I can’t be sitting on my hands, I just want to have an impact.”

The overall total for the Good Friday Appeal this time ’round is $23,368,724 – a record-breaking final tally.

Words & Image: CFA

Three new recruits have helped to reinvigorate the Shepparton East Brigade and also assisted in educating newly settled migrants.

In the last two years the brigade recruited Kamran Malik, Usman Umer from Pakistan and Hem K.C from Nepal who have all migrated to Australia. 

Shepparton East Fire Brigade Captain Dean Marsland reflected in recent days, at the beginning of Culture Diversity Week, about how the brigades new recruits have been an incredibly humbling and educational experience for them all. 

“The new members have reinvigorated and brought a refreshing perspective to a brigade that acknowledges it has had challenges in the past with recruitment,” Dean said. 

“The area of Shepparton East is evolving, it is increasingly diverse and having Kamran, Usman and Hem, means we can break down some of the cultural barriers that exist between emergency services and newly migrated Australians.” 

“We have migrants in our area from war torn countries, where people in uniform don’t represent the same thing it does here in Australia.” 

“I now understand more about the local religions and cultural sensitivities when it comes to emergency response.” 

Cultural Diversity Week runs from March 18 to 24 and this year theme is “Our Shared Stories -Celebrating together”. CFA aims to reflect the communities that we serve by ensuring CFA is a safe and welcoming place to volunteer. 

Kamran Malik, joined Shepparton East Fire Brigade two years ago and is originally from Pakistan where bush and grassfires don’t occur. His interest in CFA came from wanting to learn more about what he had only previously seen in the media. 

“Being in this role, I have been able to educate my family and friends about the fire risk here in Victoria,” Kamran said. 

“Speaking a second language I am also able to communicate to the Pakistani community here in Shepparton.” 

“After I joined and told my friend Usman about the brigade, and how great it was. He is now a member too. 

“Being able to communicate with him in our native language means I can help explain things to him as he trains to be a firefighter.” 

Dean is excited about the direction of the brigade and hopes others can see the benefits of being truly reflective of your local community. 

“Respect should be at the core of what we do and how we interact with people.” 

“I see diversity within our brigade as having more tools and skills to support our mission of protecting life and property.”

A traumatic bus incident last year inspired the Eynesbury Fire Brigade to raise money for the annual Good Friday Appeal.

Eynesbury brigade was on scene last May when a bus crash caused injury to multiple children.

Good Friday Appeal area manager and Eynesbury Fire Brigade volunteer Adrian Kendall said a lot of members in the brigade have young kids and we wanted to do more for such a great cause.

“Then the bus accident happened, and we saw doctors flying in from hospitals around Victoria to help and thought what more can we do,” Adrian said.

“It’s not just about raising money, we wanted to go to the hospital because as corny as it sounds kids like firefighters and if we can do something with our time it’s just as valuable.”

Last year the brigade raised money through shaving a member’s mullet off, making $8,333.  This year the brigade wants to get juniors involved in the cause.

“For a town with a population of around 3,000, the money raised is a pretty good effort per capita,” Adrian said.

On Good Friday (March 29 this year), the brigade is allocated a hospital ward for children who can’t make it to the lobby.

Adrian said one child really stood out to them after their visit last year.

“A little boy wouldn’t let anyone near him, but he really warmed up to us,” he said.

“It was awesome to see his happiness but also his mum happy, sometimes you forget how much families are affected too.”

Adrian also lives near where the Eynesbury bus accident happened and his wife Cheslea was one of the first people to reach the scene, comforting children involved.

“For me and other people it emphasized the importance of being there for kids, rather than just raising money,” he said.

“To be able to do something so small and show up in a costume and put a smile on a kid’s face, it’s gratifying.”

CFA members will be out and about rattling tins across the state on Good Friday or you can donate to the Good Friday Appeal online.

The CFA is calling for interested members headed to Mallacoota this coming Easter to lend a hand in the Vols on Hols program as tens of thousands of visitors are set to make their way to the region.

Following a successful summer campaign which saw 21 CFA members based in the area participate in the initiative, local members are enlisting further help to respond to the anticipated influx of call outs come the end of March.

CFA Deputy Chief Officer South East Trevor Owen said while it has been a quieter bushfire season than usual across East Gippsland due to regular rain events, it has subsequently assisted in the implementation and learning of this new pilot program.

“We’ve provided an additional tanker to Mallacoota given the increased number of volunteers, and it has been of great benefit to the community,” Trevor said.

“Some of the involved visiting members have also taken up the opportunity to actively participate in brigade training as well.”

Alongside local volunteers, Hazelwood North Fire Brigade Vols on Hols participant, Ray Beaton joined Cann Valley Fire Brigade in a combined session, running through advanced pumping activities and attack and boosting drills for a car fire.

“We’ve really seen the social connection grow between CFA members, local Mallacoota residents and visitors to the region.” Trevor said.

Mallacoota Captain Tracey Johnston has the pleasure of inviting those members who have extended an expression of interest down to the station for a meet and greet before turning out.

“We’re so thankful for the assistance from brigade members who come from across the state. We like to give them a run through of our facilities and equipment before they jump in,” Tracey said.

“From the feedback we’ve received, families of the members have been really supportive, and understand how much CFA volunteering means to them.

“Some of their kids have also enjoyed coming down to the station to see the trucks and meet the local members.”

The CFA is set to deliver more than 18,000 new radios across the state in order to improve brigades’ communication in the field.

The CFA conducted a three-month pilot in March 2023 which involved 15 brigades from different parts of the state. The pilot program assessed a range of radios in everyday operational activities, installation processes and training materials. 

The feedback from the pilot brigades enabled selection of the preferred radios and contributed extensively to the planning for the full rollout across the state.

Acting Chief Officer Garry Cook said this significant upgrade to our radio devices will strengthen our communications at incidents which also strengthens our emergency response from brigades.

“The new radios will have multiband capability which allows direct communication with our partner emergency service agencies here and interstate, further boosting our interoperability,” Garry said.

“They also include additional functionality including GPS on the handheld portable radios which improves firefighter safety on the frontline.

“It’s important for CFA to continue to upgrade its devices with the latest technology and we look forward to the completion of this vital program.”

The $138.8 million Radio Replacement Program was funded by the Victorian Government as part of a 10-year services contract to upgrade and support CFA’s radio equipment.

The rollout of the new devices will include all vehicle, handheld and base radios.

Plenty Fire Brigade Captain David Rumble, whose brigade was part of the three-month trial, said the new radios are fantastic.

“They’re simple, intuitive, easy to pick up and use and their multiagency ability is incredibly useful at an incident,” David said.

“Our brigade has thoroughly enjoyed using them and we look forward to seeing them utilised across the state.”

The CFA expects the radios will be rolled out over a 15 to 18-month period commencing mid 2024.

Victoria’s water bombing aircraft have been put to the test to help determine the best aircraft tank to use in the future.

Staff from multiple emergency service agencies have been working in a field at Balliang this month to assist with a research project looking at water drop patterns. 

Bushfires in Victoria exhibit a wide range of behaviours and have different suppression needs.  
 
The CFA, on behalf of fire management agencies, has been commissioned to better understand what makes one drop different to another so that we can make the most of our suppression tools and strategic investments. 

Many factors can impact the effectiveness of a water drop. Some of these include weather and atmospheric conditions, aircraft speed, height and altitude, the volume of water to be dropped and the rate it’s released, the design of the aircraft delivery system and engineering. 

The CFA’s Predictive Services Specialist Andy Ackland said every year Victoria’s firefighting aircraft play an important role in helping to control bushfires and protect communities from fire.  

“These experiments look at measuring the performance of the air drops so we literally measured the water drops that came from the aircraft tank as well as the spread pattern, coverage, and the amount of water used so that we can try to understand the effectiveness of wetting the ground and helping to control fires,” Andy said.   

A Helitak was used to make five water drops over a grid of plastic cups mounted on wooden stakes three metres apart. 

After each drop the cups were capped with a barcoded lid and transferred to a weighing station where they were scanned and weighed.  

“It’s good that we can get some objective measurement of the performance of the different aircraft tank designs to use in certain fuel types so we can actually understand the performance of aircraft in different circumstances. 

“I’m hoping by later this year we might have some insights into the relative performance of the aircraft.  
 “We may still have more aircraft to test next spring but it’s going to be really good to have some of that baseline data.  
 
“CFA scientists can look into the relative performance and we can start planning the future fleet and also factors such as positioning and the effectiveness in different parts of the state.”