In the aftermath of the bushfire which threatened lives and homes on January 20, the Allanson Bushfire Brigade held a community meeting at the start of February.
During the meeting, crew members spoke about how to be bushfire ready and what to pack if you need to evacuate.
Crew member Kym King said 26 houses were represented at the meeting and received a pack full of information about bushfire safety.
Mrs King said people were eager to learn more information about the packs and how they could fully prepare themselves.
Residents also spoke about their concerns that they didn’t receive an evacuation text message during the latest fire.
However, Mrs King said people should not rely on being told to leave but make their own decision.
“If you feel like you are in danger, then you should leave,” she said.
She said communication could go down quickly and it was important for people to look at their surroundings like smoke and wind before making a decision.
“People don’t need firefighting training to make this decision,” she said.
During the fire on January 20, Mrs King was on the front line when she could see that her five children at home were in danger.
She said it was a hard decision to leave her crew, but her manager gave her the go ahead to evacuate her children.
The meeting also allowed the Allanson community to say thank you to everyone involved in stopping the fire.
The community donated $600 and some cartons of alcohol as well as letters of thanks from the local children.
Mrs King said the brigade was very appreciative of any donations provided.
She also said she would like to see more people put their hand up to help when fires erupt, such as making food for the fighters.
“During the fire there a few women who started making sandwiches for the firefighters and it was so helpful because we were doing 12 hour shifts and we wouldn’t have survived without food,” she said.
The best way to put your hand up would be to register as an auxiliary member.
Mrs King said by registering as an auxiliary you are offered to do the training but do not have to take it.
By becoming a member the brigades will have your contact details so they can call on you to help when a fire strikes.
If you are interested in being a firefighter volunteer, Mrs King said it never hurts to have more people come on board.
A fire can take several days to mop up and monitor in case of a re-ignition which can be hard to do when volunteers have to return to their paid jobs.
“I was out for two nights, while my husband was out for one before he returned to work and others fought over three nights and this was just to mop up and monitor the fire,” Mrs King said.
For more information about being bushfire ready and to receive alerts on fires, visit the Department of Fire and Emergency Services website dfes.wa.gov.au
Jemillah Dawson
I started as a journalist in 2011 and now manage mastheads in the South West of WA. My passion is politics and sport. I believe we are the voice for the community but also we inform the community of what they need to know. Email jemillah.dawson@austcommunitymedia.com.au
I started as a journalist in 2011 and now manage mastheads in the South West of WA. My passion is politics and sport. I believe we are the voice for the community but also we inform the community of what they need to know. Email jemillah.dawson@austcommunitymedia.com.au
