LESSONS LEARNED AT LINTON
How the tragic loss of five Geelong volunteers 20 years ago changed firefighting
WILDFIRE burned 660 hectares on December 2, 1998.
Firefighters had been out all day controlling the blaze. At about 8.30pm it was largely out and five firefighters headed from the fire ground to refill their tanker with water.
Suddenly, there was a violent wind change as the cold change hit the area, engulfing the truck in flames.
Matthew Armstrong, 17, Jason Thomas, 25, Chris Evans, 27, Stuart Davidson, 28, and Garry Vredeveldt, 47, crewed the Geelong West tanker. All five men were killed. They were a schoolboy, an electrician, a taxi driver and two public servants.
They were brothers, sons, husbands and friends.
Their deaths shocked Victoria and led to a coronial inquest that changed modern firefighting in the state.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the deaths of the five Geelong West Fire Brigade members at Linton, as well as the 35th anniversary of the deaths of 14 firefighters in the Ash Wednesday fires.
The deaths of Mr Armstrong, Mr Thomas, Mr Evans, Mr Davidson and Mr Vredeveldt were the driving force behind the creation of International Firefighters Day, which was commemorated yesterday.
This weekend, their lives will be remembered at a memorial at Belmont Fire Station.
At the memorial, banners will display the names of every CFA member who has died in the line of duty since 1944.
Chief Officer Steve Warrington said the day allowed everyone in the fire services to pause and reflect on the work they do, why they do it and, most importantly, to remember their fallen brothers and sisters.
“We owe it to the fallen to never forget the ultimate sacrifice they paid to let us live in a safer community.
“We must not forget that while they undoubtedly leave bravery, selflessness and inspiration as their legacy, they also leave friends and family with wounds that will never fully heal.”
Mr Warrington said the 79 names of fallen Victorian firefighters were a stark reminder that CFA can and must do better for those who turn out and for those who needed to be protected.
“For the Geelong West brigade, today is particularly special as it is the 20-year anniversary of the death of the five firefighters at Linton and International Firefighters Day was started after the tragic event in 1998,” Mr Warrington said.
On December 2, Max Davidson and his wife were getting ready for bed quite late. It was nearly midnight. Mr Davidson knew his son Stuart was out fighting the Linton fire and hadn’t heard from him.
“At about 11.45pm I heard on the wireless ... that five people got killed at Linton,” Mr Davidson said.
“I thought, if it had been Stuart we would have known, because it was on the news.
“About an hour or so later I heard the fire truck (pull up). I went over to my wife and said ‘I think you are going to hear the worst news that you have ever heard’.”
Bill Thomas’ son, Jason, was just 27. Mr Thomas and his wife Val were in Melbourne when another son called.
I WENT OVER TO MY WIFE AND SAID ‘I THINK YOU ARE GOING TO HEAR THE WORST NEWS THAT YOU HAVE EVER HEARD’
FIREFIGHTER JASON THOMAS’ FATHER BILL AFTER THE LINTON BUSHFIRES
“We were in Melbourne to get a call to say that Jason went on a fire truck that afternoon and he just got word from a colleague that the Geelong West fire truck had been lost,” Mr Thomas said.
“I said: ‘How do you lose a fire truck?’”
Mr Thomas immediately rang a contact at the CFA.
“I said ‘No mucking around, give me the facts’ — and he said ‘Bill I’m sorry but Jason has passed with four other guys in a fire truck.
“That just imploded, it was terrible,” Mr Thomas said.
An 107-day inquest into the five deaths followed. The Coroner made 55 recommendations. Every recommendation was adopted by the CFA and enforced by 2007.
“(The inquest) was very emotional because every day we went there we went over it and over it and it kept bringing back the torment and it still does today, ” Mr Thomas said.
St Florian’s Day has been internationally acknowledged as International Firefighters’ Day since the Linton tragedy.
CFA acting chief officer Alen Slijepcevic said it remained vital to commemorate the fallen.
“It is a very important time to commemorate the fallen firefighters who died protecting lives and properties,” Mr Slijepcevic said.
“We must not forget the bravery of our people — also we have to remember the wounds their families are left with.”
Mr Slijepcevic said the recommendations adopted after each tragedy had saved many other firefighters’ lives.
“It is important that we learn (from tragedy) and I believe we became a better fire service as a result (of Linton),” Mr Slijepcevic said.
Some key recommendations included introducing an alarm to inform truck operators when water is low; introducing minimum skills training for all firefighters; introducing procedures around the wearing of protective equipment or protective clothing and introducing new procedures warning when a wind change is imminent.
“When you actually reflect on all that changed and see that we have had no firefighting fatalities as an organisation (since) then — then we learned a lot of things,” Mr Slijepcevic said.
For the families who lost their sons, brothers and family members on that day, one of the most positive aspects to come from the tragedy is the Linton staff walk.
Each year staff members drive through Linton, retrace the steps of the firefighters who died and determine how different decisions could have resulted in a different outcome.
Mr Davidson said Linton was now a peaceful place where he and other family members could reflect.
“Since 1998 there’s been no firemen lost in the same way.
“Now they are doing this stuff (the staff walk) — the lessons learned out of these have been absolutely brilliant,” Mr Davidson said.
IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE LEARN (FROM TRAGEDY) AND I BELIEVE WE BECAME A BETTER FIRE SERVICE AS A RESULT (OF LINTON).”
CFA ACTING CHIEF OFFICER ALEN SLIJEPCEVIC