While Parkes residents were enjoying a much cooler weekend compared to previous days, a handful of local firefighters chose to battle the heat instead.
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Up to 11 Rural Fire Service firefighters from the Mid Lachlan Valley Team (Forbes, Parkes, Grenfell and Condobolin) joined forces with firefighters from the South West Slopes and Temora/Bland Shire zones to form a strike team headed for Mudgee last week.
The strike team totalled 20 volunteers from the three zones, who left for a 72-hour deployment on Wednesday afternoon.
Working 12-hour shifts, the firefighters’ focus was on the White Cedars Road fire at Kains Flat for the first two nights.
The team was sent to the Tallawang fire on the Castlereagh Highway on Friday night, which reached the watch and act level and has been downgraded to advice.
“The White Cedars Road fire did reach emergency warning, now it’s being patrolled at advice level,” Parkes RFS Headquarters captain Scott Baker said.
He said he was very proud of his firefighters – who included Cassandra-Jane Williams, Tabbitha-Jane Williams, Hayley Chester and Michael MacRae.
Gunningbland Rural Fire Brigade captain Dave Green was the fifth firefighter from Parkes who helped out.
“It just makes you feel proud that at the drop of a hat they’re willing to put their hand up and go help out other communities,” Scott said.
“Of the four we had from our brigade three of them were young females.
“A number of them took unpaid leave from work to assist other communities.”
21-year-old TJ Williams said they were tired upon their return home on Saturday at 4pm.
“We were on night shift so adjusting to that was different,” she said.
“We did a variety of things – we were back burning on our first night, our second night we were blacking out, helping to contain the fire and we did a bit of patrolling.
“The third night we were re-tasked to a different fire.”
This was little sister, 18-year-old CJ’s first strike team and she wasn’t phased about it either. She just had her mind on the job.
Hayley, also 21, said she enjoyed helping other areas.
“They’d do the same for us,” she said.
“I like it,” TJ added. “Plus we get to meet tonnes of different people, it’s awesome.”
Also part of the strike team were Patrick Buswell, John Doyle and Tristian Wallner all from Condobolin Headquarters brigade, Dylan Wiegold from Weddin Headquarters, Group Officer Col Chapple from Greenethorpe, and Leonard Dawe and Michael Newton both from Greenethorpe.