Fireys settle in for long haul
Our goal is to support the firefighters who are out there doing the hard yards during the day and make it as much of a home away from home as we can.
RORY FIRKINS
FIREFIGHTERS battling the Gell River blaze now have a “home away from home” with a base camp set up at Glenora in the Derwent Valley.
The camp, known as Fenton Forest, was established to accommodate firefighters working on the 18,300ha bushfire in the South-West Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.
Resources working on the fire include about 100 firefighters and six aircraft, with Tasmanian crews being assisted by 53 interstate personnel.
The base camp is owned and operated by the New South Wales Rural Fire Service.
It was transported by several large trucks from NSW and has been set up on private land owned by local Bushy Park volunteer firefighter Bob Shoobridge.
Base camp manger Rory Firkins said the camp would be in place for up to 30 days and would accommodate as many as 80 personnel, hosted by 14 staff.
The camp consists of airconditioned sleeping accommodation, a large dining marquee and a recreation tent with television and board games.
“Currently we have 47 people accommodated overnight and typical deployments last three to five days,” Mr Firkins said.
“Our goal is to support the firefighters who are out there doing the hard yards during the day and make it as much of a home away from home as we can.
“The alternative to this is camping in tents out in the hot sun. Having somewhere to come home to, and a bed that’s made for you, makes a big difference to the firefighters and their fatigue.”
The camp took a team of 13 paid and voluntary Rural Fire Service staff four days to set up. A further six Tasmanian contractors, including plumbers and electricians, were also required.
Separate contractors were used to provide the kitchen, toilet and shower amenities blocks. Food, water and other supplies were sourced locally.
The camp is next to the air base to assist firefighters reaching the fire ground.
Air base manager Alex Howen of NSW Rural Fire Service, who was one of five aviation specialists sent down last week, said waterbombing was the “core business” of remote area firefighting.
“My role is the physical management, security and safety of this air base," he said.
“The TFS is a very professional organisation and I feel very comfortable and safe here. We’re just here to provide a service to our firefighter cousins and it’s an absolute privilege to be here.
“The aircraft do waterbombing, so they are supporting the remote area fire crews.
“They are guided in and do precision drops with buckets as directed. We also ferry crews in and out and we have an air attack platform with a TFS officer in command of the whole operation up in the air.”
Tasmania Fire Service incident controller Rod Sherrin yesterday said reduced smoke over the Gell River fire ground had revealed several areas of unburnt vegetation.
“We’ve got some areas where firefighters can only cover 100m a day due to the terrain, but they’re working very hard in very difficult conditions,” Mr Sherrin said.
“Large areas of the fire edge have been contained and we’ve had it boxed up for the past couple of days. However, with the weather and lightning strikes, we’re still monitoring those edges we believe to be safe.”
The fire has burnt buttongrass and mixed forest vegetation in the Vale of Rasselas, the eastern slopes of the Denison Range and the western slopes of the Gordon Ranges.
Spot fires also have been identified in the Florentine Valley and are being managed by Sustainable Timber Tasmania.
The blaze, which was sparked by lightning strikes on December 27, is about 20km northwest of the Maydena township, and the southern fire edge is about 7km north of Adamsfield. Firefighters are continuing their efforts on the northeastern edge and the he southern edge, north of the he Gordon Gorge.
An advice message remains mains current for Maydena, Ty- enna, Mount Field and National Park.
People can keep up to date by listening to ABC local radio or by looking at the TFS website at www.fire.tas.gov.au