If you’ve ever imagined yourself as a firefighter, your day may have come.
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On Sunday, the Marong Country Fire Authority will throw open its doors for a “Come and Try Day”.
Visitors will be able to have a squirt of some water, check out the breathing apparatus and inspect the station’s radio communication systems.
And if for some reason this doesn’t completely enthrall the kids, colouring, balloons and a sausage sizzle should well and truly keep them entertained.
Brigade secretary Alex Malone knows how critical it is to have the backing of the CFA in a crisis.
A member for 30 odd years, he hails from a farming family.
If you’ve got a farm, he says, you’ll know exactly how important it is to have help in case of a fire.
So, it only makes sense to be ready to help others yourself.
“If you’ve got a farm and you get a fire on it, you know the importance of having the community turnout and help you in situations like that,” he said.
“You get involved because you expect people to come and help you if you’ve got a fire on your farm, so it’s your obligation to help everyone else if they get into trouble.”
So they can continue this valuable work for the community, the Marong CFA has begun a recruitment drive.
The brigade has around 30 members, but age is taking its toll on their capacity.
Mr Malone hopes that some of the families who have moved into new housing in the surrounding areas will come along.
“The average age of the brigade is getting older each year, and we’d like some more young people to come along,” Mr Malone said.
“When there’s a fire or an emergency, people expect the fire brigade to turn out, so unless we get new people in we can’t keep doing that.”
Joining the brigade is not a daunting experience.
Member’s time commitment varies, based on their own needs.
A monthly training session is all that’s required, designed to equip volunteers with the skills they need to fight fire.
“You can put in as much or as little time as you need,” Mr Malone said.
It’s not just potential firies that the day is aimed at.
The CFA’s education unit will also be at the station on the day, to provide information about fire safety in the home and over winter.
- Marong CFA “Come and Try Day” will take place on Sunday June 24 from 10am-2pm, at the Marong Fire Station, High Street, Marong, contact Alex Malone 0419 105 043