Volunteers’ bus improves transportation for Northern Tablelands Rural Fire-Fighters
Transport for volunteer fire-fighters has been improved in the Northern Tablelands with the provision of a Ford Transit Bus for the local team of the NSW Rural Fire Service.
The new bus, provided by the NSW Rural Fire Service Association (RFSA) will be based at Tenterfield and will be used by rural fire-fighters in the Inverell, Tenterfield and Glen Innes Severn Local Government areas.
RFSA Director and member of Frazers Cutting Rural Fire Brigade Brian McDonough, said the RFSA was extremely proud of the assistance it could provide to grass roots volunteers through its annual Grant Scheme.
“This bus is one of the final items to be distributed across the state from the 2013 Grant Scheme which allocated more than $1-million worth of invaluable equipment across the brigades and RFS districts of NSW,” Mr McDonough said.
“The bus will be invaluable for all brigade members in the Northern Tablelands as it will reduce the time each individual has to drive, with the bus now available to transport volunteers during major incidents and for training purposes.”
The bus will be based at Tenterfield but will be available for all volunteers across the Northern Tablelands Team.
Superintendent Chris Wallbridge, NSW Rural Fire Service Manager, for Northern Tablelands said “the bus will be a fantastic asset to have for volunteers in the region”.
“It’ll enable us to safely move our volunteers from staging points at major fires back to their accommodation,” Superintendent Wallbridge said.
“The vehicle will also enable us to move volunteers to training exercises and other activities in the Inverell, Tenterfield and Glen Innes Severn Local Government areas and to travel to regional training events.
“The bus will also prove most useful in March when we host the annual Region North exercises at Glen Innes.”
The RFSA Grant Scheme provides financial assistance to individual Brigades, Support Brigades and Districts for purposes not covered by direct Government or Council funding.
“The best thing is we are about to start the grant process all over again with applications for the RFSA Grant Scheme 2014 opening in February,” Mr McDonough said.
“Brigades right across the state can apply for a wide variety of things and this year we are producing a catalogue so the brigades can see what they can apply for but it’s not only limited to these items.”
RFSA Grants support initiatives that are often beyond the funding capacity of individual brigades in NSW, particularly smaller brigades in remote locations, with distribution priorities on a needs basis to improve the welfare of volunteer fire fighters and to support initiatives that would benefit the wider community.
For further information on the RFSA Grants Scheme 2014 visit http://www.rfsa.org.au/assistance-programs/grants.