North Rothbury Fire Brigade has recently re-formed and received some much-needed equipment as the weather begins to warm up.
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The brigade took a portion of the $162,000 provided to Hunter brigades and support brigades from the NSW Rural Fire Service Association 2015 Grant Scheme.
The North Rothbury unit has only become fully operational again in the last 12 months after going into administration for two years.
The brigade now has 28 active members and is on call around the clock to cover fires incidents in the area and up to the John Renshaw drive exit of the Hunter Expressway.
It obtained items including a smart TV for training, a laptop, an urn, GPS units, a socket set and a spanner set in addition to the brand new fire truck the brigade received several weeks ago.
“Our current laptop has broken down so a new laptop will be very handy for communication and recording information,” North Rothbury brigade captain David Seabrook said.
“The television and laptop computer will be used for training and for keeping members and the community informed about the brigades operations.
“Our two new GPS units will be great in locating incidents in the area but also when our trucks go out of area to fires in unfamiliar areas.
“The spanner and socket sets will also be very handy while we are out with the trucks.”
The items received were all upon request from the brigade, and Mr Seabrook said they appreciated the support from the RFSA.
“The brigade as a whole would like to thank the RFSA for their support as we rebuild our local brigade,” he said.
RFSA acting president Ken Middleton said the grant scheme was a highly-valued support service offered by the association, made up of funds received from NSW RFSA raffles.
“The grant scheme offers a means of financial assistance to ensure the men and women of the NSW Rural Fire Service have access to items and equipment that make performing their duties just that little bit easier,” he said.
“These are volunteer members who give up their time to help their community during a time of greatest need and it is wonderful that we can support them while they are supporting us.”
Other local brigades that benefited from the latest round of the grant scheme included Central, Millfield, Quorrobolong and Wollombi as well as the Lower Hunter Zone.