First Fire of the Season

Mine anyway. We've had a few minor call-outs but I've missed them for this or that reason.

It was a deliberately lit fire far out in the forest.   Might as well get this over early in the year:  If you feel like you need to light fires, go and get help.  Get help before you get caught, and before many trees and animals, and maybe humans too, have to die.  It's not cool or fun to light bushfires.  It's horrible.

Andy amongst the destruction.

By the time we were called in, the local parks guys had already knocked down the running fire, but some of them had to race off to another fire further south, so they called in local brigades to help black-out the area.

I was in the 1.4 with four of the guys, and we were a good team.   It felt great to have energy.  It's amazing what not being constantly anaemic will do for you!

We took turns using the two branches and dragging hose for each other.  We blacked out to 20 metres in from the fire edge.

Andy and Dave on the branches.

There are no hydrants out there, so we drafted water up from the little river that passes through the area.

Travelling to and from the water was a welcome rest in the muggy heat, and we were very happy to be able take off a bit of our gear to let ourselves cool off while we did.   I took my jacket off too.  What a relief!

Dave is back from a long break away from the brigade, and I'm glad, because he is a lovely guy, a good truckdriver and a very good team mate on the fireground.

We were out there about four hours, which is a fair length of time for a fire, though far from the longest shift you can do.  I still had energy left over, but last night my feet were cramping up pretty badly.  You really just can't get enough fluids in in those conditions.

We were pretty happy when we were stood down!

In other news, Spotty the broody chook is still sitting.  I'm checking that she is getting up once a day for food and water, and she likes it if I bring her some cool, juicy corn on the cob to peck at, but she still growls at me if I move too suddenly.

The paddock is alive with golden flatweed flowers and happy bees. I tried to get you a pic, but the dogs thought me being at ground level meant I wanted them to come and bother me.   

You're down here to photograph us, right?

Or to pat us!

Today we did scheds at the station, but now it is a rest day.  Except that I still need to get my word count for yesterday.  That'll teach me not to put something important off until the afternoon during fire season!  I'm at an exciting point in Satan's new story, on the downhill run for home, so it shouldn't be too hard.

Not sure what the rest of the weekend holds for us.   Guess we'll just have to wait and see!