Bush growth from winter rain and dry summer weather have made for perfect conditions for bushfires.
Illawong Rural Fire Service Captain Mark Pryor said the Sutherland Shire was overdue for a major fire and people need to start preparing now.
‘’It’s particularly dry at the moment which puts us on edge a bit,’’ he said.
‘’Usually the Sutherland shire has a major fire every 10 to 12 years so we’re actually overdue now.
‘’People need to be putting together a bush fire survival plan. People should be doing something now.
‘’It’s been so long between major fires so there’s definitely a level of complacency.’’
He joined the Illawong brigade after he finished high school in 1994 and has been Captain for the past several years.
‘’I always say to people that it’s the best thing that I’ve ever done,’’ he said.
‘’It’s a bit of everything- mateship, responsibility, teaching, dealing with the community and the adrenalin of it all.’’
He said the brigade has few call-outs during the year but it ramps up during the Summer months.
While most people are celebrating the Christmas season many RFS volunteers are on-call.
‘’The reality is that we need to have a truck ready in seven minutes and with volunteers that can be challenging,’’ he said.
‘’During the warmer months we up the ante a bit and we make sure everything is humming along.’’
For more information of a bush fire survival plan go to www.rfs.nsw.gov.au.
