Local brigade members lend assistance over east

Shire of Augusta Margaret River President Ian Earl is thanking several local fire brigade members who have flown over to support the firefighting effort on the east coast.

So far, three local volunteer brigade members have joined Lower South West task forces deployed to NSW.

“These local brigade members are putting their lives at risk to help communities on the other side of the country experiencing an extreme threat from fire.

“Our local crew have experience and knowledge fighting bushfire - skills that can help share the workload where needed and keep the firefighting effort running continuously,” he said.

Cr Earl also acknowledged two local volunteers who recently won Volunteer Employer Recognition Awards from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services.

Jenny Colquhoun from Margaret River Podiatry and Brett Trunfull from Margaret River Roofing were both recognised as self-employed volunteers who take time off work to train for and respond to emergencies.

“Thanks to business owners like Jenny and Brett, many of our vollies are given time off work, often at short notice, to help when fires or other emergencies happen.

“This support is critical to our volunteer emergency services crew being able to function,” he said.