Gidgegannup Small Farm Field Day: Volunteer bushfire brigade firefighters keen to engage with community

When flames from the devastating Wooroloo bushfire bore down on the community Brad Degens, Genevieve Payne and Claire Harben call home, the trio swung into action. The three Gidgegannup residents were among hundreds of firefighters who battled the terrifying blaze which started on February 1, 2021, and destroyed 86 homes. In the years that followed, firefighters have shared their best fire prevention tips for landowners at each year’s Gidgegannup Small Farm Field Day — with this year’s event to be held on Sunday, May 28. This year, the West and East Gidgegannup volunteer bushfire brigades will hold a stall at the Field Day. From their spot at the event’s Back Paddock, the firefighters will share how people can best prepare themselves and their home for a bushfire. In WA, more than 95 of emergency services personnel are volunteers, a point West Gidgegannup Volunteer Bushfire Brigade secretary Ms Payne is keen to highlight. She said the firefighters hoped patrons would stop by their field day stall for a chat and then “take the lessons home”. “Living in the hills or anywhere where there is bushland, you certainly have to be aware that it is not a case of ‘if’ a bushfire is going to happen, it is a case of ‘when’,” she said. “It is important to have that mindset from the start and realise that you do need to be prepared. “It’s about maintaining your block, doing small burns through the year to reduce fuel loads and preparing your home. “This could include cleaning gutters and blowing leaves, and having a safe zone around your residence.” One of WA’s worst fires, the Wooroloo bushfire destroyed 86 homes after it began on February 1. It also tore through almost 11,000ha of land, which included infrastructure such as power poles, sheds and fencing. The fire started on a hot Monday afternoon and by the end of that day had torn through nearly 20km and destroyed 80 per cent of the Tilden Park subdivision. At 12.02pm it was reported that a fire had ignited near Werribee Road in Wooroloo — exactly how is still under police investigation. Over the next hour, triple-0 operators fielded 66 calls. In the first 12 hours of the blaze, there were 140 fire trucks and 280 firefighters on the ground. At the height of the incident later in the week, that number ballooned to more than 500 firefighters and an extra 300 emergency services personnel. The stall will include plenty of information on bushfire and storm readiness, as well as information on hazard reduction burning. With the memory of the bushfire still in the community’s mind, Ms Payne hopes the field day will provide some healing to residents. “We really want people to come and speak to us and to find out more about how they can prepare their property,” Ms Payne said. “People are still hurting and there are still lots of challenges for the town, and there are still a lot of homes that haven’t been cleared. “There are lots of people that are still struggling. There is still a lot of stress and a lot of it is still very raw. “It is so important things like the field day do continue because life does go on and I think this is part of the healing process. “People can think about something else for a day.” The display will also include representatives from the City of Swan’s incident control centre, housed within the Swan Emergency Services Centre. Gidgegannup Small Farm Field Day is Sunday, May 28.