In the heart of Victoria’s Alpine National Park lies the Mt Hotham – Dinner Plain Fire Brigade, one of CFA’s three alpine brigades.
Unlike most of the state, Mt Hotham – Dinner Plain’s peak season falls in the winter months, particularly the July school holidays and weekends in August when people flock to the mountain for ski season.
“For us, that means not only the normal call-outs that we might get – the false alarms the chimney fires. But also, an increase in motor vehicle accidents on the mountain as well.” Captain Terry Crisp explained.
Being a ski resort town also impacts brigade membership with some members living in Mt Hotham all year round, and others only being available for the winter.
In addition to the challenges of turning out in snowy conditions, the brigade faces another unique obstacle; there are times when the road to Mt Hotham becomes impassable, effectively cutting them off from neighbouring brigades.
“In the winter and the summer, all our plans centre around standing alone. Sometimes it’s gusting up to 80 kilometres an hour, the visibility can be very poor. Sometimes the road is closed. So, the closest brigades of Omeo and Harrietville may not even be able to get here. So, we have to train, and we have to plan for our events that we stand alone.”
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Alison Smirnoff |