Woodford Rural Fire Brigade in Woodford, New South Wales | Fire station

Woodford Rural Fire Brigade

Locality: Woodford, New South Wales

Phone: +61 2 4758 6446

Address: 2 Park Rd 2778 Woodford, NSW, Australia

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25.01.2022 There is no doubt the current fire season has taken its toll on all firefighters and affected communities - and unlike previous years that toll has been quite widespread. Every community, including our own has benefited directly from the support of the aircraft and the crews fighting the fires. The loss of the Large Air Tanker (LAT) is something that all firefighters would pause to reflect on. So many of us have witnessed the results of their help on the firegound. We also ...know that for every one of these planes in use, helicopters become available for use on other fires. Our Commissioner Shane spoke for us all when he said Our sincere condolences are with the families of our Bomber 134 crew, their colleagues and all those affected, particularly those in Coulson Aviation. Respect. Rest now. Your job is done.

25.01.2022 New batch of trees have arrived, they are selling fast, come get your christmas tree before they are all gone

25.01.2022 It’s time to prepare your Emergency Survival Kit for bush fire season. The seven essential items to pack in your Survival Kit are; a portable battery-operated radio; a waterproof torch; spare batteries; a... first aid kit with manual; woollen blankets; emergency contact numbers; drinking water. Add cash and credit cards; medications and toiletries; special requirements for children, the disabled or the elderly; a mobile phone and charger; important documents; and a change of clothes for everyone before you leave. Don’t forget to prepare for your pets too. Head over to myfireplan.com.au to learn more. https://www.myfireplan.com.au/leave-earlyyour- safest-choice/important-items-checklist See more

24.01.2022 With the final stages of patrol still underway for the Blue Mountains fires, it would be good to take a look back at the regrowth within the Riches Fire from November. If you have some photos of the regrowth, please post them here in comments! (I am looking for some good shots include in the photo history we are compiling for this season)

24.01.2022 Today, crews have been working to patrol and blackout along the Oaks and Ingar Fire Trails - and Bedford Rd down to Murphy's Glen. While a few smoking remnants have been found, there has been nothing really to worry about. With a few days of forecast wet and/or cooler weather ahead, we are hopeful that MOST remaining hot spots will be dowsed naturally by the time more hot weather comes through. It will be nice to see the humidity at a more comfortable level for outdoors work!

23.01.2022 Two of the hazard reductions planned for this week are in/near Woodford, so expect to see us out and about working on these. In particular, the Bulls Camp hazard reduction will be quite visible due parts of it being right next to the highway. We expect all these burns to be emitting smoke for a few days. ... More details in the link below.

23.01.2022 Fact: Grass fires can move three times as fast as a bush fire, they start easily and spread quickly. Grass fires will pose a risk in NSW this fire season so make sure you have a cleared area around your home. Learn the 5 simple actions to prepare... your property at myfireplan.com.au See more

23.01.2022 A number of brigades (including us) have been called out to a fire in Wentworth Falls. No specific details as yet.

23.01.2022 We sent out emails to everyone who had Santa photos about picking them up. It appears that some of these emails are still in hyperspace (or spam folders)... So - if you have not yet received an email, these are the times that you can come to collect your photos/USB : Saturday 12th 10.00am to 4.00pm Sunday 13th 10.00am to 4:00pm... We will NOT be open on Saturday 19th

23.01.2022 A number of our firefighters also play in the world of photography. Some spectacular shots were taken over the course of the last fire season. As a result, we decided to put a bit of a glossy calendar together for 2021. These will be on sale at the same time as the Christmas Trees for $20ea. A very limited print run, so I would suggest getting in early on the Saturday to make sure you collect one! (Special thanks to Cameron Bartie for putting this together!)

22.01.2022 Fact: Only 6.9% of NSW was impacted by bush fire in the 2019/20 fire season. This means there is a significant bush fire risk for the coming 2020/21 fire season. It only takes 5 minutes to improve or make a plan that will give your property,... your family and yourself the best chance of survival. Get ready now at myfireplan.com.au See more

22.01.2022 With a couple of requests to see the full submission to the Bushfire Inquiry by John Grimshaw on behalf of the Woodford Rural Fire Brigade, it can be found here... https://www.dpc.nsw.gov.au//0804-Woodford-Rural-Fire-Briga

20.01.2022 One of the many things the RFS can be called on is assist police and ambulance to carry out injured persons particularly when the weather, temperature, terrain or time of day means that a helicopter cannot perform the rescue. We can say that it is really NOT easy to carry a person out. It is also not possible to maintain social distancing either, so it would mean using up PPE to protect ourselves and those being rescued during the tasking. ... ...Maybe now is not such a good time to go trekking off the beaten tracks and into the wilderness!

20.01.2022 Sunday 24/01/2021 - The massive number of lightning strikes we experienced this afternoon resulted in a couple of minor fires. These were addressed by crews from a number of brigades. Thanks to those residents that called in the smoke sightings to 000. You may see us out and about over the next 24hrs checking that these particular fires are properly out. Given the predicted weather, please help us keep watch for new smoke sightings!

20.01.2022 Please report all lightning strikes or smoke sightings to 000. They then contact us to send us out. Thanks Woodford Rural Fire Brigade

20.01.2022 Incident Call early this morning (prior to the rain), with a call to a smoke sighting on the north side near Weroona Ave. Turned out to be a false alarm.

20.01.2022 With the newly active section of the Erskine Creek Fire putting on quite the display yesterday and overnight, you should expect to see increased activity from the RFS as we work to deal with this problem. The new section of the fire has been added to Fires Near Me (see second picture - we circled the new bit), and as you can see it is still south of the containment lines. With winds continuing from the west, the hope is they remain relatively light as per the forecast. It w...ill be a hot day today, so it will be difficult if you plan to do any outdoor preparation work of your property. Our advice would be to do any outdoors work early today - and stay hydrated! As far as we are aware, there is currently no immediate threat to property but it cannot hurt to be prepared. (Photo: by Chris Wright - one of our crew working in the wee hours)

19.01.2022 This update from yesterday talks about all these fires being under control - which is great news. Just like the Riches Fire in Woodford back in November, it may take a while before they will all disappear from Fires Near Me. The status of Under Control means we have a good containment around the active fire edges, and those edges are being extinguished. Right now, it would be hard to find parts of the fire still being active, but we keep watch for a good while to make s...ure hidden fires in tree roots and hollow trees do not grow. (Edit: smoke currently visible near Mt Solitary is well inside the burn area) Even with the predicted rain, it pays to keep a close eye on these things. In the meantime there is a lot of chat on various social media about regaining access to parks and reserves. It should come as no surprise that the authorities will be VERY careful about this. Burnt trees and large branches will be falling without warning for weeks to come. That is one of the reasons why firefighters insist on wearing their helmets on burnt ground even when there is no fire. Please take care, and continue to avoid burnt areas until the authorities properly check for hazards.

18.01.2022 Surprise! Socially distanced Santa! Bookings are required to get your shot with Santa at the brigade. Only a handful of slots are still available for the weekend of Nov 21 and 22. Contact [email protected] for more details.

18.01.2022 It is official - we will be able to collect and sell Christmas trees for 2020! When? - Weekend of 5&6 December 10am to 4pm - Weekend of 12&13 December 10am to 4pm... - Weekend of 19&20 December 10am to 4pm (Start times may vary - harvesting trees and mountains traffic are not always predictable!) How Much? $30 - and we do sell tree stands as well. How Big? Your Choice. Big or small - the price is the same. What Trees? The trees harvested are "rogue" trees that will be mulched as part of a new tree planting area. This way, they get a little extra use before they are culled! They may not be a "perfect" Christmas Tree shape, but they are guaranteed to have character! THERE IS ONLY A LIMITED AMOUNT OF TREES AVAILABLE!!! Once they run out, there are no more!

18.01.2022 This weekend, two of our numerous new members became firefighters and will soon be able to get out of the borrowed training uniforms and into their own kit! Congratulations to Renee and Stephen! We have a few more newbies starting and getting their qualifications, so if you wanted to come and join in, now would be a great time. Drop in after 7:30pm Wednesdays for details (and bring 100 points if ID) and we can get you started. Or send a message to this page.

17.01.2022 You don’t have to live right near the bush to be at risk. Even if your home is a few streets back, you may be at risk. Can you guess the main reason homes are lost to bush fires? #getreadyweekend

16.01.2022 Get Ready Woodford! This Saturday we will have 3 online Facebook events to talk about the bush fire season ahead and your preparations, and to answer your questions. The times are 10.00am 11.30am... 1.00pm Feel free to join us at one of the above times via the Event on our Facebook page See more

16.01.2022 As we head into the first hot days for the new season, today we had the opportunity to reflect on the last season. The NSW Premier’s Bushfire Emergency Citations were awarded to each of the 74 members that contributed to our effort - a massive effort that included nearly three months of operations, with many periods of 24/7 brigade opening. As much as these awards were handed to us, it has to be acknowledged that there was a huge effort of support by our community. To those t...hat also rolled up their sleeves and pitched in to help keep things running, gave a donation, or even just popped in to have a cup to tea - Thank you all. We don’t to these things for awards, but we thank the government for their recognition of all of our efforts. Special thanks to our new Superintendent Nicholas Medianik, and our local state member Trish Doyle for helping present the citations.

16.01.2022 The Erskine Fire edge is finally visible to us via aerial surveillance - and as expected the activity of the last 24hrs has been quite extensive. You should see an update in FNM once they have plotted the exact edge and uploaded that plot into the systems (a laborious process done by hand). The fire behaviour is certainly quite intense this morning, and resources are being deployed along the fire trails where we previously burnt a protective barrier.

15.01.2022 Your safest option is to leave early. A bush fire can be a terrifying situation, intense heat and flames will make you tire quickly, it will be difficult to see and breathe. You may become confused or disorientated. Powerlines and fallen trees can block... roads and make driving dangerous. It’s always better to leave early, before the fire arrives. Visit myfireplan. com.au and make a bush fire survival plan, it will help you make important decisions like when to leave or what you need to be prepared to stay. See more

14.01.2022 OH NO!!! We have been advised by RFS Headquarters that as a result of the growing Covid outbreak, we have to CANCEL Santa run! Santa Run CANCELLED for Sunday 20 December, 2020

13.01.2022 Fact: Lots of rain means lots of fuel for bush and grass fires. It only takes a few days of hot, dry and windy weather to cure grass and make it flammable. Make a bush fire survival plan so you know what you will do if there’s a bush or grass fire... near you. Visit myfireplan.com.au See more

13.01.2022 Hi everyone Unfortunately we have had a delay with the USB Santa photos due to supplier demand. We have hardcopy photos for collection and will be expecting the USB photos to be available in the coming days. We sincerely apologise for the delay and will be in contact shortly.

13.01.2022 One of our members wrote this article about taking film photos on the fireground these past few months. https://emulsive.org//humanity-on-the-frontline-of-climate

11.01.2022 (Blue Mountains, NSW) Woodford Brigade advises the community about the coming fire season, and how they can Get Ready for 2020. This video was the introduction to the LIVE event that Woodford hosted, asking for questions from the community about how they can prepare for the coming fire season. Feel free to ask more questions here! #getready

11.01.2022 (edited) SANTA PHOTOS 2020. Printed photo $25. USB - $15... November 14, 15, 21and 22 Santa is coming to Woodford Brigade for some "socially distant" photos. If you would like to participate, we need you to BOOK A TIME!!! How? Send us an email to: [email protected] with 1. your preferred date 2. a 3-4 hour time range 3. your phone number We will email you back an appointment and any specific requirements

11.01.2022 After a super busy day getting in front of the fire, we had a little help making this thing sit down. This fire progressed very quickly in the dry hot conditions, and you will be able to see on Fires Near Me just how far it got in the last 36hrs. Strike Teams from Cumberland are being sent back home with grateful thanks for their help today. We will wait and see what surprises this little bit of wet and lightning brings us!

09.01.2022 Woodford RFB has had a long association with Lawson RSL Subranch and has participated in the 10am memorial service at Lawson for many, many years. In the last few years, we have also supported the Dusk Service at Woodford's Memorial Park. As the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted this ANZAC tradition, many of our members will mark ANZAC Day by taking part and showing our respects from our driveways at around 5.55am. Some will be in uniform to specifically honour those that hav...e worn military uniforms. We would invite and welcome our community to also participate, and mark our collective respect to all who have served - and particularly to those who have given their lives in defence of our country.

09.01.2022 With another few days of heat, we have had questions from a few people as to how the various fires are going, and what will happen this weekend with a super-hot day predicted for Saturday. As with any fire, there will be hot spots for (possibly) weeks after it is contained. We generally work to put a good 100m of blacked out zone around the edge so there is no easy way for a fire to break containment. It is not possible to completely blackout the whole burn area and find... every hotspot. As a result, there is every chance a plume of smoke may rise up out of the area. So, should some existing fire pickup pace in the days ahead, it is most likely it will be well within the burnt area. The RFS will, of course, monitor any such activity and deal with it accordingly. We still rely on the vigilance of our community, so please, if you see an unattended fire, call 000. If you are not close enough to see if it is attended, then watch for activity on the various ways we let you know about fires (Fires Near Me etc). There is no harm in calling 000 if you are not sure. In general, if you are at all unsure about what to do, then come and see us (or your local brigade) when we are open.

08.01.2022 Today is the LAST day we'll be selling Christmas trees - we've had our final delivery a couple of hours ago. We're closing at 4.00pm - see you before then

07.01.2022 The Erskine Creek Fire is generating its own weather. The pyrocumulus cloud associated with this could see very unpredictable fire behaviour. What does that mean? There could be a thing called dry lightning and extended ember travel distance. ... The latest update map on Fires Near Me shows the increased spread of the fire to the south. It would be a wise move to make sure your fire plans are ready to implement. We are still NOT at a point where there is immediate threat to property, but vigilance will be important over the next few hours.

06.01.2022 Special notice for locals - All the weather predictions are indicating a very high likelihood of a significant cool weather event. If you have been in the mountains previously when this type of thing happens, you would be aware of the sort of disruptions this has caused previously. Our advice would be to plan for the sort of delays and road closures that this type of event could produce. In particular, if you need to travel west of Woodford, you would be well advised to CAREFULLY consider your options and plan appropriately. https://www.bluemountainsgazette.com.au//snow-predicted-i/

05.01.2022 Blue Mountains brigades (including Woodford) in the news... https://www.news.com.au///b53bff45662f59cfbeff0af31c1b7689

05.01.2022 As we start to head into the colder months, many houses in the mountains will be starting to think about firing up their fireplaces and outdoor fire pits, etc. After coming through that Black Summer fire period, it will be understandable that many of us will feel a little "unsettled" as we start to smell smoke back in the air. The same advice we say regarding fires still applies in the colder months: - Call 000 if you see an unattended fire - If you can smell smoke, but there... is no visible source, take a moment to see what you can around you. Maybe talk to your neighbours and so on. - if you a planning an outdoor fire, be sure to check you are conforming to the requirements stipulated by the BMCC (https://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/permits/open-burning) - if you are lighting up your household fireplace for the first time in 2020, check if it needs to be cleaned/opened up first. See more

04.01.2022 Woodford and Linden Rural Fire Brigades will be conducting test burns Saturday morning (today)in the north Woodford and Linden area in preparation for our upcoming Hazard Reduction. You may see small amounts of smoke north of Woodford.

03.01.2022 From fires to flooding - our tanker bay was one of many casualties to the massive rain event still unfolding. Not that we are complaining! You may see us out and about assisting the SES with storm damage works. Please drive slowly and carefully - particularly around trees impacted by fire (or otherwise unhealthy due to the drought, etc).

02.01.2022 You will see new smoke appearing near the main Erskine Creek Fire. This is the start of the back burn operation to strengthen the containment lines to the south of Woodford. More of these smoke plumes will appear over the next few hours.

02.01.2022 (Sunday 18/4/2021) In case you are wondering... We are conducting a training exercise on Bedford Rd down to Murphy’s Glen with brigades from Linden and Hazelbrook. You will see flashing lights, and hear our pumps running.

01.01.2022 The update below is a good snapshot of todays activities over the last 12hrs. The next 24hrs will see a number of RFS assets put in place to deal with the fire as it encounters another hot day. It will be particularly important for residents on the southern side to pay attention to the usual communication channels as the day unfolds. (Fire Near Me, etc). We will also seek to update here if things change.

01.01.2022 There are some simple things you can do around your property to prepare it against the risk of fire. Do you know the top 5 actions to make your property safer? 1. Clear/slash flammable materials around... structures like homes or sheds. 2. If the conditions are right and you have the permits, approvals and skill, conduct a controlled burn. 3. Plough firebreaks around paddock boundaries to prevent the spread of fire. 4. Rotate stock across your property to ensure paddocks are well-grazed. 5. Prepare and maintain sturdy hoses and water pumps in case you need to defend your property. See more

01.01.2022 Minor update: There was a small flare up of fire between the Oaks and Bedford. Though the fire itself was well within containment lines, bombing helicopters were used to quiet it down. We did not need to put crews on the ground. (Photo by Chris Wright from a few weeks ago)

01.01.2022 Fact: There will never be as many fire trucks as there are houses. Do not depend on a fire truck being available at your home. But if you and your home are well prepared, you stand a better chance of surviving a bush fire. There are simple things you can do around your... home to prepare it for a bush fire, like keeping the grass low and having a cleared area around your home. Learn more and get ready at rfs.nsw.gov.au/plan-and-prepare See more