SA firefighters head to NSW to support fire effort


The team of 16 South Australia Country Fire Service volunteers at Adelaide Airport, ready to help their interstate counterparts.

The South Australian Country Fire Service (CFS) volunteers left on Friday 3 November to provide support and reinforcements to the NSW Rural Fire Service, as it battles several out-of-control bushfires.

The team, made up of 15 highly qualified volunteers and one incident management specialist, will be based at Glen Innis - the site of a large fire - during its seven-day deployment.

More than 50 houses have been lost across New South Wales and Queensland during the recent bushfires.

Conditions have eased recently, however there are still several out-of-control bushfires in northern New South Wales that prompted a formal request for assistance.

Dairy farmer Bailey, 22, a volunteer with the Strathalbyn CFS brigade, has swapped his cowboy hat for this firefighter's helmet, and headed off for his third deployment to New South Wales.

“I remember arriving in Port Macquarie in 2019 and it was chaos - the firestorm was like nothing I'd ever seen,” Bailey said.

“We worked in the hills, near the coast and actually saved more properties than what we lost.

"At one point I was talking to a farmer about it all and then it really hit home. I'll never forget that experience.”

Meanwhile, the CFS has urged South Australians to prepare a fire plan for times they're travelling in a bushfire risk area.

For more information including how to check the Fire Danger Rating, visit the SA Country Fire Service website.

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