Helping hands in bushfire crisis

A STRIKE team of Northern Tablelands firefighters has gone south to assist efforts to combat bushfires raging around Sydney.
A team of 20 volunteer rural firefighters, including specialist remote area fire-fighting teams, left on Monday with three trucks to assist in the Sydney basin.
They were due to meet up with teams from New England and Namoi-Gwydir districts.
A further 20 firefighters will leave on buses on Thursday to relieve the first team.
“The Northern Tablelands Team has deployed a Strike Team consisting of 20 RFS volunteers to help in and around the Sydney Basin with a second Strike Team preparing to travel later in the week,” Northern Tablelands RFS team manager Chris Wallbridge said.
Superintendent Wallbridge said the Northern Tablelands NSW Rural Fire Service volunteers have been kept busy with a number of recent incidents in the local region as well as major incidents across NSW.
The most serious incidents have occurred in the Blue Mountains and on the Central Coast, while numerous fires also affected community assets and rural infrastructure in the north-east of the State, he said.
“NSW RFS members are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week – ready to lend their expertise in the community whenever it’s needed,” he said.
“During busy periods like we are currently having, volunteers give up a lot of their time, often attending incidents which could have been avoided.
“While Fire Permits are available free of charge to the community, it is the responsibility of the Permit holder to check local weather conditions prior to ignition and ensure they comply with all of the conditions on the Fire Permit”.
Superintendent Wallbridge also said that there were significant fines for people who fail to comply with the conditions of their fire permit including possible jail time.