Desperate firefighters hire themselves out

By Sarah Schwager
THE Hampton Park Fire Brigade is asking people to help them fight fires by upgrading their business’s fire equipment.
The brigade is trying to raise money to buy a much-needed new fire truck by offering fire equipment maintenance and upgrades to local factories, shops and office complexes.
Hampton Park CFA fire equipment maintenance manager Chris Gomolis said the brigade was lucky that they had had a recent influx of new recruits but did not have the equipment to cater for them or to attend the many local emergencies.
“This is a problem that all pure volunteer brigades go through. Each volunteer brigade is given an annual budget of a couple of thousand dollars. This is barely enough to keep open after buying stationery and basic equipment,” Mr Gomolis said.
The new truck, costing between $80,000 to $90,000, has the pump capacity to source water from lakes and dams, as well as more hoses, ladders and equipment on board.
“We are about half way there but we need help,” Mr Gomolis said.
Because of local and Gippsland fires, most volunteers are too busy fighting fires to help fundraise.
The brigade’s newest additions, a pumper and a tanker, have not been seen in two months as they have been used to help out in Gippsland.
“The problem is that Hampton Park and Lynbrook are growing really fast and we just don’t have the resources,” Mr Gomolis said.
He and four other members, Kevin Harter, Josh Harvey, Daniel Murtagh and Michael Marks, are visiting local businesses about upgrading fire equipment.
But he said it was a waste of their time and they needed the community to help out by contacting the brigade and offering their support, whether by a donation or by signing on to the CFA’s new fire equipment and maintenance, including servicing hose reels, extinguishers, smoke alarms and fire blankets.
Checks at businesses need to be conducted every six months. The CFA checks the equipment, installs any new equipment and shows the recipients how to use it.
For more information or to request a CFA check at a business, contact the Hampton Park CFA on 9799 1980.