Rye Volunteer Fire Brigade

Many rural areas in Australia have volunteer Fire Brigades. I don't really know much about these people and the work they do, so when my son's kindergarten was invited to visit the Rye Rural Fire Brigade, I went along.





Being a rural Fire Brigade they have to fight both house fires and bushfires (what are called "forest fires" in the United States); they have a different uniform and equipment for each.

 One feature of life living in a rural Australian town, for those who are not familiar, is the ringing out of the station siren. It is called to volunteer firefighters to get to the station. They only have a few minutes to make it, otherwise another rural Fire Station will also be called in.

As with other specialisations in human life, there are a variety of technologies that are a credit to ingenuity. For example, the firefighters have a device attached to the uniform, wherein, if they don't move for four minutes or so, an alarm goes off. So if they fallen down--unconscious or dying--hopefully their colleagues will be alerted. Fighting fires is of course an extremely dangerous undertaking. I guess the names of the helmets can also serve a grim purpose of identifying bodies.

The fire engines themselves had a large variety of tools. Everything seems determined by being practical. For example, the machine that helps suck out smoke does not have "52.6kg" written on it. Rather it has "2 people"; indicating how many are required to lift it.

Different fire hydrants have different sized attachments. So these trucks need to have all the fittings.

 The oxygen tanks are lifted out of the fire engine with a machine that makes a loud beeping sound. In this smoke and confusion of a firefight, it is possible for firefighters to run into something protruding out of the truck. Therefore, the loud beeps alert them to the risk.

Boasting top quality cafes, restaurants, and fashion shops, the Mornington Peninsula is hardly a typical rural setting. Nevertheless, this is the first time I have lived outside of the urban areas on mainland Australia. For the first time, I've experienced rural areas' lack of convenience and infrastructure compared urban locations. The trade-off is, where I live, beautiful beaches and a stunning environment. Another trade-off is a strong sense of community responsibility. These volunteer firefighters put their lives on the line for others.

Thank you to the Rye Fire Fighters for hosting my son's kindy and for the selfless and crucial volunteering you do for the community.