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Help The CFA Be Ready

Is there a fire plug located on your nature strip? If so, your local fire brigade and Bass Coast Shire Council need your help!

By Bass Coast Shire Council - 16th September 2009 - Back to News

Council’s Emergency Management Coordinator, James Bremner, said in the event of an emergency the responding fire brigade uses the plug to access water for fighting fires.

"Council, with the help of local fire brigades, is responsible for ensuring that fire plugs are working and easily identifiable," said Mr Bremner.

"We do general maintenance work on and around the plugs and repairs when required.

"We’ve done a lot of work over the past few months to make sure the fire plugs across the Shire, including Phillip Island, are in good working order.

"We are now asking the community to help keep them this way.

"If you have a fire plug on your nature strip we’re asking you to not park close to it or on it and not to drive over it," Mr Bremner said.

"Also prune back any overhanging trees or vegetation from your property that might be covering the fire plug marker post to ensure it’s visible from a fire truck day and night.

"You may be interested in ‘adopting’ the fire plug outside your property by maintaining it throughout the year. This will help ensure the plugs remain in good working order," continued Mr Bremner.

Council and the CFA currently have a fire hydrant display set up at the Cowes Cultural Centre which shows how a fire plug works.

Fire plugs are situated below ground level and have a concrete surround and a metal or plastic cover plate. There will also be a white post with a red top and blue reflector close by.

This must be clearly visible to responding CFA crews in an emergency.

On sealed, bitumen roads, a blue reflector is off set from the centre of the road to indicate which side of the road the plug is located.

"A basic thing we can all do to help out all our emergency services is to ensure that your house number is clearly displayed and visible from the road so your house can be easily found during an emergency," reminded Mr Bremner

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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