News and Issues


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	News and Issues
	This page contains current news about training, upcoming events, fundraising, the fire situation and matters of community interest. It also discusses current issues like the truck replacement program. We even give you a chance to comment on issues here.
Current News (10/3/2005)
Summer fire restrictions are now in force, as of 1st September, due to the exceptionally dry conditions. Permits are required for any control burn or bonfire in the open.

The Annual General Meeting will be held on Thursday 17th March at 8-00 pm at the fire Station in Victoria Street. All members of the Sutton community are welcome. There will be an election of officers, and the opportunity for members of the community to ask questions and sicuss issues with members of the brigade. We strongly urge new members of the community to attend, to find out about this most important community organisation, and of course we always like to meet our old friends.

As the summer fire season draws to a close, we can report that it has been a pretty quiet season, both in relation to fires and road incidents. For this we are truly grateful. Nevertheless, the crews have kept their skills up to speed with regular training on the second Saturday of every month, so we are ready if anything happens.

Those people who helped out a Murrumbateman Field Days last October will be gratified to know that the result of your efforts was a cheque for over $3800, which will be put to good use in the brigade for all those items, large and small, which are not provided by the Rural Fire Service. Thenks to everyone who put in a stint. It is a very good result for a couple of hours work each, shared around a large group of people from the community. We were taking money on the gates, as we have for a number of years, and a great job was done in putting through another record number of attendees. If you didn't get to be part of the action last year, do not worry, we will be asking again this year. Put the Murrumbateman Field Days in your diary well in advance.

Our training department, Eddy Tillotson and Graham Scofield, have both completed the new trainer's course with the Rural Fire Service and are fully up to speed with the latest qualifications for the job. Eddy has also completed the assesor's course. Three of our firefighters, Matt O'Brien, Jenny Clews and Paul Hiscock, are signed, sealed and delivered as advanced firefighters. Congratulations to all of them. It's good to kow that the volunteers of our brigade are up to date with all the latest training. There has been a bit of a hiatus in Basic Training, what with the arrangements that revolve around the new shire boundaries and the new Basic Training course as set out by the Rural Fire Service, but that should get rolling before the next fire season. Anybody from the Sutton community who wishes to train as a volunteer firefighter should contact Eddy Tillotson. All volunteers who go out to fire incidents must have completed Basic Training.

The brigade, and the local community, suffered a blow last September with the death of our local stock and station agent, and fire brigade stalwart, Bob Collis. Bob was a former president and former deputy captain in the brigade, and our main man on the ground for daytime callouts. Bob survived just long enough to see the local Pony Club grounds named in his honour, as a tribute to his contributions and efforts for them and for the community. At his own request, his funeral was held at the Fire Station and he was conveyed to the crematorium on the back of a highly polished fire truck. The occasion, while sad, was turned into a celebration of Bob's life, with tributes from his many friends and loving family. Bob's eccentricities and wacky sense of humour were not forgotten in the solemnity of the occasion, and altogether it was a fine send off. Our best wishes go to all the members of Bob's family, and we hope that the good memories of Bob's life are beginning to take over from the sad memories of his illness and death.

Thanks to those many people and businesses who have recently made contributions to the brigade. A list of our business donors can be found on this website.

For an overview of our emergency work over the last year or so, take a look at our incident log. It includes last summer's emergency, but it is really not an accurate indicator of the numbers of people involved or the hours they devote during an extended incident like that one. Still, I guess it gives you a bit of an idea.

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