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G'day all, back with some more news from Kariong Rural Fire Brigade. As
you may
have seen in the local papers, Kariong has been highlighted as being
part of the public
education program called "Firewise". It deals with fire safety around
the home as well
as profiling the use of smoke detectors and in an effort to encourage
the public to
have a smoke detector, local radio stations 2GO and Sea FM in conjuction
with the
local Rural Fire Service were at various locations throughout the
Central Coast
handing out literature, "freebies" and a free smoke detector to those
members of the
public who came along. It was a great way to meet and great the public,
have a chat to
them about fire safety and if they needed a smoke detector, giv'em one
for free
courtesy of the manufacturers of "First Alert" smoke alarms, 2GO, Sea FM
and their
sponsors. As a rather famous cricket commentator would say, "Good effort
that!"
As a way of bringing home the service to the public, I'm going to start
profiling
members of Kariong brigade and give a little insight into who they are
and what
they've done. The member for this month is Mal Smit, senior deputy of
the brigade.
Mal started with the brigade back in 1993 and got his "baptism of fire"
in the
emergency of '94 which was a year that not many have forgotten. In 1995,
he was
elected a deputy captain which was the start of his progression up the
ranks. Mal's
held several other positions over the years such as training officer,
fire mitigation
officer and first aid officer to name a few. Along with his wife Lisa
who was also a
member at one time, were pretty much committed to the service which they
still are
today. Mal has held the position of senior deputy for five years now and
is also a
breathing apparatus instructor for the district. When asked what
memorable
experiences he's had, he just gave a typical shoulder shrug and wry
smile saying "I
dunno" But the expression belies the truth and the fact is that he's
been through a lot
with the service and some more memorable experiences I pried out of him
were for
their sheer intensity were the Reptile Park fire in 2002 and Walkers
Sawmill fire of
'95 just to name two. Mal is the "what you see is what you get" type of
guy, ready and
willing to help out where needed which pretty much defines the service
to some
degree. So for this month, Mal 'ol son, you get the big "ONYA" Next
month, I'll pry
into the life of brigade luminary and Captain, Barry Myers; so don't
leave town Bazza'olboy!
Finally, on a rather sad and melancholy note, after a long battle with
illness, former
long standing member of Kariong RFB John Roland passed away. On and off
the fire
ground, John lived up to the Rural Fire Service ethic of always "For the
Community"
in whatever he did. On behalf of the brigade, I would like to extend our
deepest
condolences to the family as he will be sadly missed.
OK troops that's it. I'll catch up with you next issue. Stay safe!
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