A.C.T. bushfire volunteers respond to fire emergency on the South Coast December 2002

- Press Release 1

The ACT Bushfire Service has quickly responded to a request for assistance from NSW for resources and fire crews to help in the fight against large bushfires on the South Coast.

Although the ACT has experienced the same dangerous fire conditions and high winds there are currently no active fires in the ACT and the next few days will see a calming of the winds and a drop in temperature for the ACT. In view of these improving ACT weather conditions and now a formal request late this afternoon from the Southern Regional Coordinator of the NSW Rural Fire Service, the ACT Chief Fire Control Officer has agreed to the deployment of one taskforce from the ACT to the Batemans Bay area.

The taskforce will comprise the following:

• Five heavy tankers with a crew of five volunteers per tanker from the ACT Bushfire Service.
• Three Bushfire Service command units from both volunteer and Department of Urban Services elements.
• One Emergency Service Logistics Support Team comprised of volunteers.

The deployment will consist of approximately 32 people of which 29 are volunteers from five volunteer brigades.

The deployment will be for an initial 72 hours, not including travel time. Emergency Services Minister Ted Quinlan said that the Government was pleased to offer its support to NSW during the current bushfire emergency. "All Canberrans remember the assistance that was offered and gratefully received during the bushfires in the ACT last Christmas. This deployment is part of our willingness to assist our regional neighbours and we will continue to monitor the situation to see if there is any further help we can give."

"I wish our taskforce the very best and hope they are able to relieve some of the pressure that is obviously being felt on the South Coast at the moment." Mr Quinlan concluded.