Aftermath of the storm in Mirboo North. Photo courtesy Zac Porter
When the residents of Mirboo North lost reticulated water supply due to storm damage, staff from CFA’s State Logistics Centre (SLC) and Mirboo North Fire Brigade members were there to heed to the call.
In the early hours of the morning on Wednesday 14 February staff from the SLC sprang into action to support the Department Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) in providing water to the town.
After hours duty officer Jo Fraser headed to the SLC with colleague Steve Temby to load a CFA truck with eight pallets of drinking water, and Steve set off in the truck with Manager, CFA State Logistics Centre Barbara Steele-Price.
By 6am Wednesday morning, three hours after the initial call was made for support, the almost 7,000 litres of bottled water was in Mirboo North and in the hands of grateful community members.
ACFO Paul Carrigg, who was State Agency Commander on the night, said the efforts of CFA staff to ensure that water was delivered within a very short time frame to a devastated community was outstanding.
“While our focus was on multiple emergency events occurring across a broad area of Victoria, not the least of which was the fires burning in districts 16 and 15, once again CFA stood up and delivered to a community in crisis,” Paul said.
“To say we shine brightest during emergencies goes without saying, but these actions once again speak for themselves.”
CFA’s General Manager Infrastructure Services Paul Santamaria said the quick response was another great example of how CFA provides a range of vital services to support communities.
“The fact that a community was able to access an emergency supply of drinking water three hours after the initial call was made is a phenomenal achievement. Full credit to the team at the SLC,” Paul said.
The Mirboo North community also received exceptional support from Mirboo North Fire Brigade members, who worked tirelessly from the evening of 13 February. They carried out road rescues, used chainsaws to clear fallen trees to provide access to properties, and carried out welfare checks on residents.
Mirboo North brigade members also worked with Gippsland Water until 1.30am on Wednesday to set up temporary lighting so that the town's water supply could be restored.