Residents get fire ready with the Malmsbury brigade

Malmsbury CFA will be holding their open day on November 27. Pictured are Lt Georgie Gretton ( front ) with back from left Lt Darren Burren, Ashley Krive', Linda Krive' and Lynn Murphy. Picture Shawn Smits.

Residents can get the inside story on how Malmsbury Fire Brigade is getting people ready for the coming hot months at this weekend’s fire station open day.

Lieutenant Georgie Gretton says two seminars will outline how the season is likely to pan out and how residents can prepare.

“We’ve planned the day to be family friendly, so we will have supervised activities running for the kids, while there are sessions for the grown-ups,” Lieutenant Gretton says.

Malmsbury captain Tony Stephens will use the Phoenix Rapid Fire program to mimic different fire scenarios around Malmsbury, Taradale and Lauriston, showing residents how a fire may travel around the area under different wind and landscape conditions.

The program uses information, such as topography, fuel loads, curing, and weather conditions to plot the course of a fire on any given day.

“We’ve plotted potential fire scenarios … Tony will also talk about what this fire season has in store for us, and what residents can do to prepare,” Lieutenant Gretton says.

Jenna Kelley, of the Walking Forward disaster relief team, will explain the National Equine Database, set up to link people to a network that relocates horses and companion animals to safer places before extreme weather or fire events.

A free community barbecue will give people the chance to ask questions, meet volunteers or even join up. Sunday, 10am–2pm.