Valley Heights Rural Fire Service has received new technology resources thanks to the generosity of Springwood Sports Club’s Club Grants Program. The new resources will improve their service to the local community, communication and the safety of their crew. This new technology supports changes and improvements the Service is making to their call out procedures.

General Manager of Springwood Sports Club, Brett Clarke, said that the provision of community resources and contributing to the wellbeing of the immediate local community is high on the Club’s agenda.

“Our vision is to make a signification contribution to the quality of community life and given the glorious natural environment that surrounds us can sometimes be challenging and unpredictable. The work of the Rural Fire Service does in protecting local homes, families and community infrastructure is vital. We will always be happy to support our local firies”, said Mr Clarke.

The contribution from Springwood Sports Club totals $4,820 and has provided the following new tools for Valley Heights Rural Fire Service:

  • 3 x Samsung Galaxy Tablets with extreme protection all terrain survivor case
  • 3 x mounts and car chargers for the tablets to be installed in fire trucks
  • 1 x Dell laptop computer
  • 2 x weather stations

These new resources will be used to allow fire crews to have instant access to Incident Action Plans, give them the ability to undertake real time crew resourcing, obtain weather readings, fire maps (state-wide) and allows immediate dissemination of this information to the Incident Controller. The technology will also assist crew members in report writing for hazard reduction planning, crew training and it will also be used in the field for community engagement activities.

Captain of Valley Heights Rural Fire Service, Peter Linnegar, is thrilled with the new resources.

“Obtaining funds for new resources is always challenging and it’s great that Springwood Sports Club has been able to help us out. This new equipment will really support changes we have made to our call out procedures and operating practices. Not only will it make our communication and resourcing more effective, it will help improve the safety for our RFS members”, he said.

Fire and rescue trucks at the scene of a fire.
Fire and rescue trucks at the scene of a fire.

In addition to the new resources, Springwood Sports Club will also stock the fridge at the Valley Heights Fire Station with water/refreshments for the RFS volunteers when they are out fighting fires. Springwood Sports Club is thankful to the volunteers and Crews at Valley Heights Rural Fire Service and has proudly presented these new resources to Captain Peter Linnegar.