Are you ready for Summer?

Wingello is a great place to live.  Are you ready for this fire season.
Bush fires are a natural part of the Australian environment and occur regularly, but many people fail to prepare for them.  When threatened by bush fires, people will often leave it too late to make critical decisions and often have few safe options left.
So begins the excellent Rural Fire Service’s Bush Fire Survival Plan booklet.
You may recognise some local personalities in the above photo which forms part of the booklet.
On Saturday, 24 September the local fire brigade had an Open Day followed by a very important Community Awareness Meeting.  This was a combined meeting for Bundanoon, Penrose and Wingello but there was a very poor showing.  When there is a sniff of smoke in the air, everyone becomes very concerned.  This is often too late.
Wingello is a beautiful little village, surrounded by forest.  While the forest is a great part of the area’s beauty, it is also the source of our real bushfire risk.
As a resident you need to know how to prepare your home to reduce fire and ember risk, to prepare yourselves and have an evacuation plan in place, understand the fire danger ratings and what to do if a fire is threatening.
The Wingello Fire Captain is a very effective speaker, helping us to understand the dangers that bushfires pose.  The lessons of the recent Victorian bushfire disaster were certainly made relevant to us all.
It is critical that all families and residents have a current Bush Fire Survival Plan. These are available from the Wingello Shop or Fire Station.
The brigade is currently sending out a survey form and hope that everybody will complete and return it to the Wingello Shop addressed to the Wingello Fire Brigade. This survey will assist our fire brigade in defending your property in case of a fire. Shortly the brigade will be visiting properties to help and advise on preparing yourself and property in the event of a bush fire.