Rockhampton Deployment

 

Well this trip to Rockhampton was a bit different and a real eye opener for me and my dad yes my dad he is also in my brigade with me.

 

I have never seen fires like this in my life when we arrived in rocky all you could see and smell was smoke everywhere.

 

We grabbed our bags and got on the bus to head for the ICC where we were going to be told where we were staying, what we were having for tea and what time we had to be back in the morning. 

 

When we got there we got told to get changed because we had to head out, so we all got dressed and some of us went out and some of us stayed at the ICC.

 

My dad and I were a couple that stayed, well in the end we all ended up going back to the motel for sleep because the fire was going to impact on houses the next day so they needed as many people on the ground.

 

Well rise and shine 6:30am! We were all up getting ready and off we went back to the ICC which we got told yes the fire is coming and its coming very quick so we need you all out as quick as possible.

 

Dad and I and a friend from another brigade had to wait for our truck because we ended up crewing a urban truck with two auxiliaries which was awesome.

 

So we all got going and we had to do property protection which wasn’t to bad - but then it all just happened.

 

The fire started to impact us so we tried to put a back burn in which helped a little, but then the fire came up behind this house. 

 

I just thought man were in trouble here.

 

But then we got out three lengths of 64mm and a 38mm hose off a urban truck to save a house. 

 

Man it's hard work pulling that kind of hose around fully charged when your used to only using a 25mm case 1 hose.

 

Then once we finished behind that house we made up all the hose and both lines of case one, then once we did that we went back to the control point where we were being tasked from for the day.

 

When we got back we all sat down for not even two minutes then back on the truck turning out to another incident were there was a flare up behind someone’s house.

 

But when we got there it wasn’t at all - it was just a log smoking so we put some water on it then went back to the control point again to try and have a quick brake but nope - once we got back we were back in the truck turning out to another grass fire threatening houses.

 

By the time we got there, there was already another urban unit on site with us by that stage so me and my friend we on a case one line each trying to save these property while news crew were trying to stand on top of us trying to film.

 

But that didn’t last long then that fire was out and we went back to the control point for lunch.

 

Then while we were having lunch we gave my dad a break and the auxiliaries put on another one of their blokes on the truck and while all that was happening we got turned out to another fire threatening homes again.

 

When we got to the address the fire was coming real quick, if we didn’t get there when we did, we probly would had lost the house plus a couple more.

 

But while we were there, fighting this fire I have never seen the flame get into the tops of the trees so bad and crown, then after we had finished there that was our day.

 

We just ended up going back to the ICC so we could have tea and go back to the motel.

 

Then the next day dad and I were put onto a rural truck this time with another local person we had no task to do that morning until they told us to turn out to a grass fire, when we got there it was about 41/2 ha started just from a power line coming down.

 

Gee wasn’t that one a hassle all the cow and horse dung. Man that stuff is hard to put out and stop burning - but we did what we could do and then left it with the owner.

 

Then the next thing you know we are responding to another grass fire but it ended up being the crust from the fat and stuff from the abettor burning which man that stank.

 

But we couldn’t do anything about it so we left there and went back to ICC because our radio in the truck got broken, then once that was all fixed we went out that after noon and patrolled with a couple of other trucks and blackened out a couple of spots were needed.

 

Then when we got back to the ICC of dinner they turned around and said we were all going home the next day even though we were all suppose to be there until Friday.

 

So we had tea went back to the motel and backed our bags and were ready to fly out the next day, but that never happened the fire was coming to close to the houses, so they had us stay back and help out so again.

 

Dad and I hoped on a urban appliance again and went out and back burned around houses all round for property protection and I thought I would never see it but it so looked like Black Saturday.

 

But only one house was lost in the whole fires in the area which was really lucky considering how close it got to the houses. 

 

Then we headed back to the Gold Coast the next day.

 

Well guys that is the end of my deployment - it was suppose to be short but I tried to put everything in but still didn’t fit it all so I hope you all enjoy the story of my deployment.

 

Latest Posts

• Busy with The Burns Team  »
• Extreme Weather Heroes Weekend »
• Rockhampton Deployment »
• New kid on the block »
• Townsvile Deployment »
 

1 Comments

Leave a Comment

	(required)
	(required but will not be displayed)
Comment
(required)