Fighting fires – from Glenhaven to Canada
From leading the annual fire drill at Living Choice Glenhaven to flying out seven days later to help fight the raging fires in Canada … it’s been quite a week for Pablo Anwandter, Training Coordinator at the Glenhaven Rural Fire Brigade.
Pablo (pictured above, left) was one of the 30 volunteers from the Glenhaven and Kellyville Rural Fire Brigades who converged on the Glenhaven village on Saturday 10th June for the annual fire drill.
Pablo said the exercise provided an opportunity for the firefighters to test their apparatus and response skills. It was also an opportunity for the village’s Fire Wardens to ensure they are well-prepared for any emergency.
Pablo will be leaving for Canada on 17th June with several other volunteers from the Hills area. Despite having a busy landscaping business, he has found time to volunteer for the Rural Fire Brigade for many years and was involved in fighting the fires in Tasmania in 2013. He is listed on the National Register of Emergency Responders.
Around 35 residents at the village are registered as Fire Wardens, with Tom Chapman and Ralph Warren being the Chief Wardens. Tom said their main role during the fire drill was to direct the firemen to the “incident”, with Fire Wardens positioned at both village entrances and at the roundabout.
“It’s an important role as sometimes the numbering of the homes and the one-way streets can be confusing for emergency responders,” said Tom.
“We were also able to test the eight new radios that both Living Choice and the residents purchased and they worked very well,” he added.
Good luck to Pablo and all the Australian firemen heading to Canada.
