Fires and Incidents
The Brigade currently responds to over 600 fires, incidents and flase alarms a year.
Below are some stories and photos of some of the regular calls that we get.
This SECTION looks at some of the more memorable ones.
The picture to the lef is the Saddlerack fire from around 1999. The building faced Lava Street opposite the Catholic Church. This shot is of Warrnambool Tanker setting up at the bottom of Grace Avenue to attack the fire from the rear.
Below are some stories and photos of some of the regular calls that we get.
This SECTION looks at some of the more memorable ones.
The picture to the lef is the Saddlerack fire from around 1999. The building faced Lava Street opposite the Catholic Church. This shot is of Warrnambool Tanker setting up at the bottom of Grace Avenue to attack the fire from the rear.
Merrivale House Fire August 2013
A house fire occurred in Merrivale on the afternoon of August 3rd. At 3.30pm the Brigade was paged to the Merrivale Drive address and when on scene found the front lounge room and connected kitchen fully ablaze. As an aditional hazard, the powerline supplying the house with electricity had burnt off at the house and was laying across the footpath and a car parked in the front yard. The crew of 3 staff and a volunteer immediatley ran out a line of 38mm hose, dodging the powerline by going over a fence, and conducted an offensive internal attack. This strategy was successful in containing the fire to the rooms of origin, saving the four bedrooms and bathroom.
Mopping up took some time with the fire having extended into the roof space, requiring roofing iron removal. The iron was later corrctly replaced as the weather was typical Warrnambool; the southwest wind provided natural ventilation but the intermittent showers didn't help. More information about the fire can be found here:
Warrnambool Standard First Story
Warnambool Standard Follow-up Story
Mopping up took some time with the fire having extended into the roof space, requiring roofing iron removal. The iron was later corrctly replaced as the weather was typical Warrnambool; the southwest wind provided natural ventilation but the intermittent showers didn't help. More information about the fire can be found here:
Warrnambool Standard First Story
Warnambool Standard Follow-up Story
Gas Leak Nicholson Street July 2013
We don't only go to fires. Every now and then we have to play detectives! On this afternoon local residents could smell gas in the street. They couldn't see a leak and they were only getting the odd whiff. Solution...call the fire brigade! On arrival the Brigade deployed and started working with the gas detector to monitor the atmosphere. No gas was detected in the open other than, as with the residents, the odd whiff. But high levels were present in the storm water drains and Telstra pits. Tenix personnel arrived and with the Brigade were able to establish that there was an underground leak. As there was no public safety issues the Brigade left it to Tenix.
Check out the Warrnambol Standard's story with some great photos HERE
Check out the Warrnambol Standard's story with some great photos HERE