Illawarra Fire and Rescue NSW crews have taken a proactive approach to fire safety so no one else loses their home after three house fires were completely destroyed in Helensburgh in the past 12 months.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
On Saturday, Fire and Rescue NSW and Rural Fire Service has launched a fire safety program to reduce the number of fire fatalities across the state and local crews had a particular focus on Helensburgh.
Fire and Rescue NSW Inspector Chad Wallace said firefighters from the local crews who attended a house fire on Bulgo Road last Monday went back the area to talk to neighbours about the need to have a working smoke alarm.
"Despite the rapid response and best efforts of fire crews, those three homes were totally destroyed," Inspector Wallace said.
"Firefighters are drawing a line in the sand and saying there will be no more fires in this area.
"Instead of being reactive, and waiting for a Triple 0 call, we are getting out into communities to stop fires before they even happen."
The 30 firefighters in 6 trucks aimed to speak people in 100 homes in the streets surrounding where homes burnt down.
If a residents didn't have a working smoke alarm then the firefighters installed one for free.
"One new house across the road from where the fire was last week had no smoke alarm so we went in and installed four alarms, free of charge," Insp Wallace said.
"We also talk about general safety advice such as staying away from heaters, electric fires, fire extinguishers and blankets."
Insp Wallace said the Bulgo Road home occupants were only alerted to the fire by their working smoke alarm and were able to get to safety, which meant firefighters did not have to put their own lives at risk by having to search for people inside the burning building and instead could focus on extinguishing the blaze so it did not spread to neighbouring properties.
Bulgo Road resident Lauren Wentworth-Perry said it was great to see the firefighters back in Helensburgh checking to make sure neighbours were OK after the house fire and had a working smoke alarm.
"It is good they are looking out for the community and making sure people are aware of the need for a working smoke alarm," she said.
"It made us feel cared about. I just wanted to say thank you to them for coming out today and also on the night of the house fire as they came to our door and told us to get out."
Firefighters checked her smoke alarm before they took her kids for a ride in the fire truck.
Insp Wallace said the Helensburgh residents had been very receptive to the initiative as the small community had been significantly impacted by the fires with not only the homeowners but nearby residents traumatised by witnessing the devastating blazes.
He said the community initiative was a good team building exercise between different crews and fire agencies who attended the house fire as it allowed them to elevate their firefighting efforts and reconnect with the neighbours.
Insp Wallace said it also helped with firefighters' mental health after seeing a traumatic loss of a home.
"It gives the firefighters a bit of closure on the incident because they come back much calmer than during the night and allows them to help the greater neighbourhood. Our firefighters join to help their local community.
"The initiative is all about rebuilding this neighbourhood. We will invest time and money into smoke alarms and fire safety so a house fire doesn't happen to anyone else."
We depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.
Subscribe to our newsletters
