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Clonbinane Rural Fire Brigade - MARCH 2024              www.cfa.vic.gov.au

Clonbinane members recently had the opportunity to visit the Mount Hickey Fire Tower located in the Tallarook State Forest.   There are 80+ towers located throughout Victoria which are managed by Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMV) These towers are staffed by lookout observers throughout the summer period anywhere from 8-10 hours a day.

These observers play a huge role in protecting our communities by detecting/reporting smoke from unplanned fires. The Mount Hickey tower is staffed by local observer Phil. Phil has over 30 years of experience in this role and his ability to pinpoint smoke sightings has been invaluable to our local brigades over the years. Once Phil sights smoke, he checks it against a compass point and often triangulates the smoke with other towers (such as Pretty Sally and Mount Puckapunyal Fire Towers) to get the correct map reference before passing the information onto the dispatch centre who then page brigades.

The Mount Hickey Fire Tower stands 18 metres off the ground and offers an amazing view of our district.  On clear days Phil has been able to see landmarks such as top of the Rialto building and Mount Kosciuszko (approx. 300kms away)

Did you know that our lookout observers are not the only ones that assist with smoke sightings?  Commercial airplanes have also been known to report smoke in areas such as our state forests.

Fire Weather

Although our summer has been kind so far, we still want to remind residents to remain vigilant. Actions to take include ensuring that you continue to prepare your property, knowing your fire plan and what your trigger is to enact your fire plan.

Good Friday Appeal

Easter is just around the corner, which means that Clonbinane CFA are back raising much needed funds for the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal.

Our members will be out in force on Friday 29th March, rattling tins and knocking on doors. For those of you that will not be around on the day, don’t worry, as we have set up a virtual tin. A link to our virtual tin can be found via our Facebook page.

Stay Safe

Tom Snaith, Clonbinane Captain