Bruce Coomer and fellow NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) Remote Area Firefighting Team members about to board a helicopter at Linden Ridge, in the Blue Mountains National Park, in January 2020. The crew contained an advancing fire outbreak on Linden Ridge that was threatening Winmalee and Hawkesbury Heights (Bruce Coomer).
By Julie Nance
Fighting bushfires in rugged, mountainous terrain inaccessible by fire tankers requires considerable skill and endurance. Winmalee’s Bruce Coomer has spent 20 years battling fires deep in the bush as a volunteer remote area firefighter. He shares his experiences with writer Julie Nance.
Key Points:
It is important to put remote bushfires out before they grow bigger and reach populated areas.
Rural Fire Service (RFS) volunteers like Bruce Coomber have a wealth of vital experience in fighting remote fires.
The RFS is always needing more volunteers and remote area firefighting is just one of the many roles available.
Every year for the past two decades Bruce has passed the ‘arduous pack test’, carrying 20kg over 4.83kms in 45 minutes or less. It’s one of several requirements to be part of a Remote Area Firefighting Team (RAFT).
Once you have either walked or been helicoptered into the fireground, you need to be self-reliant, including overnight. That means carrying personal belongings, food, water, thermal cameras and a mixture of hand tools. Divided between the crew of three to six are chainsaws for tree felling operations, spare chains, fuel, oil and the list goes on!
Bruce Coomer, Deputy Captain, Winmalee Rural Fire Brigade. Bruce has been in the NSW Rural Fire Service for 29 years (Julie Nance).
Bruce explains the role of a volunteer remote area firefighter
“I’ve done a lot of remote firefighting work in Australia. I’ve been to Tasmania about 10 times, all over NSW, Victoria, the ACT and overseas as well. There is always work to be done and not enough people to do it.
If you like the bush and the outdoors, it’s a fantastic way to see some amazing places by helicopter or on foot that you wouldn’t ordinarily see. Often these areas are in national parks and you can’t rent a helicopter to go there. The only way you’d ever go there in an aircraft is to put out a fire.
The idea with remote work is to jump on the fire as soon as possible and contain it before it gets bigger.
Where there’s a small fire that has just started, you can winch people in quickly by helicopter. Three or four people can put it out before it becomes something that requires 400 people, dozens of vehicles and house protection. You’ve saved an enormous amount of time, money and resources.
There’s no deployment to flat areas. It’s always mountain goat country you are dropped into. You’re going to attack the fire often at the top of a hill because that’s where lightning has struck. You can’t usually get any trucks there because it’s too steep.
It’s really satisfying to be in a remote location and put out the edge of a smaller fire and stop it dead.
I helped achieve this twice in early 2020 at Linden Ridge and Linden Creek, halfway between Winmalee and Mt Wilson. We were deployed to catch the spot fires or progressing fire. We stopped the fire from impacting Winmalee and Hawkesbury Heights.
Managing risk
I’ve certainly been in situations where we’ve had to stop what we are doing and move to our safe zone. If there is too great a threat, you won’t be deployed in the first place. Inherently as a firefighter there’s an element of risk that you don’t otherwise have sitting on the beach drinking soft drinks. The way to address potential danger is to be well trained and to know what to do at the right time.
Bruce enroute to a fire at Mt Field National Park, west of Hobart, Tasmania, in early January 2019. The remote location required the RAFT to be inserted by helicopter. Winching is more dangerous and is always the last option (Bruce Coomer).
Bruce: Our crew landed in a burnt-out swamp in Mt Field National Park. The red bag contains chainsaws, fuel and hand tools. Starting from burnt ground is always preferred as it is a refuge from active fire. From this point, we walked up the hill to the fire edge, about 1km away (Bruce Coomer).
Firefighting without water
Dry firefighting is all about separating the heat from the fuel in whatever way you can, whether that’s scraping with your hands or using a rakehoe (a long-handled tool). Blowers are quite effective with leaves on the ground in clearing an area. The idea is to make a fire break and either burn from that fire break or have the fire burn up to it. In both instances the fire gets to the point where there’s no fuel left and it stops and goes out.
Bruce:In the Tasmanian highlands in mid-January 2016. It’s a very old and slow growing environment, with some plants taking centuries to grow only a metre or two high. It was a very hot fire, despite the cold conditions. Once the bush started to burn, it was not possible to put it out. We had to try to contain the fire by making a fire break on the unburnt side of the bushes (Bruce Coomer).
Bruce: I was a member of a RAFT helicoptered in and out at Cradle Mountain-Lake St Claire National Park, Tasmania in late January 2016. We worked with Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS) and Tasmanian Fire Service to extinguish a fire edge and contain the fire. Steep country and large fallen trees made it slow going (Bruce Coomer).
Dams dropped from the sky
A ‘buoy wall’ is like a portable dam that comes in varying sizes. The aircraft drops it, and the crew on the ground sets it up. Water – from 500 to 1000 litres – is dropped into the buoy wall by an aircraft, or the water can be pumped in from a dam or a creek. You can then use the water with a pump and hose, or the aircraft comes and picks up the water in a bucket and drops it on the fire where you are working.
One of the most satisfying things is making a dam wall with available rocks and stones so the water dropped by the helicopter stays in the hot zone and puts everything out. You’ve also got water left over to use elsewhere.
You guide the aircraft to drop the water by radio, setting up indicators on the ground or using strobing torches.
Bruce:In a national park near Lake Gordon, West of Hobart, in February 2019, extinguishing a fire edge and containing the fire. There was a resident tiger snake nearby, which we repeatedly observed sunning itself in the same location over a number of days (Bruce Coomer).
RAFT training
To be deployed remotely, you not only need to be trained as a basic firefighter – understanding the risks and how to deal with fire using the standard equipment on a truck – you also need to know about fire behaviour. You need your advanced firefighter training completed, after which you are eligible to complete remote area courses.
RAFT training includes dry firefighting techniques, safety around helicopters, winching, communication and on-off boarding procedures.
Recertification to be part of a RAFT is annual, including the standard fitness test. The recertification winch height is kept quite short at five metres to reduce risk. Actual winch operations are always above tree height, typically 20 to 30 metres, but can be up to 75 metres.
NSW RFS RAFT members being re-certified for winch and hover aircraft operations in July 2023. The assessor is watching in the green helmet and is in communication with the helicopter crew person in the white helmet (Bruce Coomer).
Great rewards
Remote area firefighting isn’t for everyone as it does require a level of fitness. You may or may not have support from aircraft so you really have to be able to function on your own. I thoroughly enjoy it.
If remote firefighting isn’t for you, the RFS is a big service so there’s a lot of different areas where you can contribute.
It’s a great way to connect to, and support, your community. You get trained in some fantastic skills. I’ve been trained in first aid, chainsaws, aircraft – none of which I would have achieved otherwise. It’s all provided at no cost.”
Take Action:
Junior RFS membership starts at age 16, with standard membership beginning at age 18. If you are interested in joining the RFS, contact your local brigade via their website, Facebook or by phone.
This story has been produced as part of a Bioregional Collaboration for Planetary Health and is supported by the Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (DRRF). The DRRF is jointly funded by the Australian and New South Wales governments.
If you haven`t yet tried the deliciousness of Good Fat Pastry you`ll be in for a treat at the Food Security Fair on Sat 18 October! Join Michael, the creative baker producing these mouthwatering plant based (and mostly gluten free) treats for breakfast, where he will inspire you to rethink everything you know about baking:
"Baking is both borne and constrained by convention—as are our expectations. Since Ancient Egypt and Rome, eggs, dairy, and cereals have been used in baked goods for flavour and functionality. The enormity of cakes, pastries, biscuits, and desserts we know and love—and the countless we have no awareness of—have been discovered and created through spontaneity and experimentation. Almost always resting on the magical transformations of these key ingredients under heat and energy.
Yet as the realm of food is one of creativity and sensory inquisitiveness there are inherent possibilities for alternatives—in replicating the familiar as well as creating novelty. This path can follow the complexities of molecular gastronomy or the simple pragmatism of substituting with what`s on hand. Find whatever works for you."
Spaces are limited so bookings essential here (link in profile): https://events.humanitix.com/food-security-fair-or-planetary-health-initiative
One of the highlights of our Food Security Fair on Sat 18th October is our Weaving with Weeds workshop at the Planetary Health Centre in Katoomba. In this relaxing and enjoyable workshop Erin Hall will help you identify common invasive weeds that are ideal for basket making, and teach you the basic skills to weave a range of different objects. At the same time you`ll be removing and repurposing weeds that are destroying habitat for our wildlife! Places are limited so bookings essential here (link in profile): https://events.humanitix.com/food-security-fair-or-planetary-health-initiative
We’re thrilled to announce that tickets are now available for Ferment the Season with Holly Davis at the Blue Mountains Food Security Fair on Saturday 18th October at the Planetary Health Centre in Katoomba. Holly will demonstrate how to ferment the season to create more nutrient rich and digestible food. She is the co-founder of Sydney’s Iku Wholefoods and author of ‘Ferment - A Guide to the Ancient Art of Culturing Food’ and ’Nourish: Sustenance for Body and Soul”. Learn the foundational principles and several techniques for fermenting seasonally abundant produce. Fermentation increases nutrition and eating a little ferment with every meal has unlimited benefits for our overall wellbeing and the planet! Places are limited so book early here (Food Security Fair link in profile for tickets): https://events.humanitix.com/food-security-fair-or-planetary-health-initiative
Thank you to everyone who so generously contributed to our celebration of the centenary of World Animal Day, and our tribute to the life of artist, poet, author, Animal Liberation founder, and animal rights activist, Christine Townend, at the Planetary Health Centre yesterday. At a packed event we feasted on delicious plant-based food, inspiring art and poetry, and memorable conversations, as we shared our love and respect for the extraordinary world of animals of which we are a part. Join us for further celebrations at our Food Security Fair on Saturday 18 October. Register here (link in profile): https://events.humanitix.com/food-security-fair-or-planetary-health-initiative
We`re thrilled to announce that tickets are now on sale for our inaugural Blue Mountains Food Security Fair at the Planetary Health Centre in Katoomba on Saturday 18 October! Register here (link in profile): https://events.humanitix.com/food-security-fair-or-planetary-health-initiative
The day will include stalls, talks and demos about growing, sourcing, cooking, preserving and enjoying plant based food and protecting habitat for wildlife.
Our fabulous line up of speakers and workshop tutors includes Dr Milena Bojovic on the Future of Food; Holly Davis, co-founder of Iku and author of `Ferment`; Michael from Good Fat Pastry; Nev Sweeney from Under the Choko Tree on how to build a Solar Powered Food Dehydrator; Lloyd Sharp from Mid Blue Mountains Seed Savers; Marnee Fox from Forage to Feast; Teya Brooks Pribac from Plant Inspired; and Erin Hall on Weaving with Weeds. Stalls will include EarthRising Mushroom Farm, edible native plants, the Planetary Health Cafe and more. Each session needs to be booked individually as numbers are strictly limited.
This event is being supported by a sEEd grant from the Australian Association for Environmental Education.
This Saturday 4 Oct, on the centenary of World Animal Day, you can meet other people passionate about protecting our wild neighbours, and contribute to restoring habitat for wildlife with them, by coming along and joining our dedicated team of Planetary Health Bushcarers as we regenerate the bushland at the Planetary Health Precinct. Learn more and register to attend (1.30pm) here: (link in profile): https://events.humanitix.com/planetary-health-bushcare-spring-summer-2025
Woohoo! We are so thrilled. Katoomba poet David Brooks has just won the Prime Minister`s Literary Award for Poetry with his book "The Other Side of Daylight: New and Selected Poems". Come and celebrate with us this coming Saturday night when he`ll read from his work for a World Animal Day celebration at the Planetary Health Centre. Bookings here (link in profile): https://events.humanitix.com/world-animal-day-raising-the-bar-for-nature
(apologies for dodgy screenshots ... we`ve been watching the awards streaming on YouTube tonight)
Join us next Sat 4th Oct to celebrate the exciting news that Katoomba writer David Brooks has been shortlisted for the Australian Prime Minister`s Literary Awards for his book of poetry: "The Other Side of Daylight: New and Selected Poems". It will be a night of art, poetry and delicious food as we also celebrate the centenary of World Animal Day, with David reading from his work alongside local poet Louise Wakeling, a tribute to artist, poet and founder of Animal Liberation, Christine Townend, and an Open Mic for poetry about the extraordinary species we share our world with. Bookings essential here (link in profile): https://events.humanitix.com/world-animal-day-raising-the-bar-for-nature
With each extreme weather event more hazardous materials enter our environment and impact human and planetary health, which is why, for 2025, we’re bringing together the Australian Bushfire Building Conference and the Asbestos & Hazardous Materials Management Conference in Katoomba on 20-22 Nov, to address how we can all work together, from design to disposal, to both reduce disaster risk and the risk of hazardous materials. We urgently need to design, build and live differently, as well as better manage those hazardous materials that are already impacting our health and the health of our frontline emergency staff and volunteers.
At Full Cycle 2025 we’re bringing together leading experts to address how we can do this.
We`re thrilled to announce that Shane McArdle, Head of International Projects for the Asbestos and Dust Diseases Research Institute (ADDRI) in Sydney, will present on local and global actions for eliminating asbestos and dust-related diseases. Shane has spent almost 10 years at the Australian Government Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency (ASEA) overseeing awareness raising and international strategies to prevent exposure to asbestos and to eliminate asbestos-related diseases.
Early bird registrations for the conference close on 7 October. You can learn more and register here (link in profile): www.fullcycleconference.com.au
The last six years have seen catastrophic and unprecedented wildfires in Australia and California. At the Full Cycle Conference on 20-22 Nov, A/Prof Owen Price will share his research which compares the patterns of housing loss in the NSW and Californian wildfires. With every fire, more hazardous materials are dispersed through the environment.
Owen has spent the past 18 years analysing empirical evidence of the effectiveness of bushfire mitigation strategies. This has included examining the effectiveness of prescribed burning, the drivers of fire spread and severity, fire suppression and house loss. He has published ~140 research papers and he is the Director of The Centre for Environmental Risk Management of Bushfires (CERMB) at the University of Wollongong. Owen is one of many leading speakers who will be joining us at Full Cycle 2025 to explore how we can reduce disaster risk and hazardous materials in a changing climate. Early Bird Registrations close on 7 October. Visit the website to learn more and register here (link in profile):
Keynote speaker Julian Cribb AM announced as anticipation builds for the inaugural Full Cycle 2025 Conference which will address some of the most critical issues of our time, and what we can do about them. Julian Cribb will speak on how we can cleanse our polluted planet and tackle the existential megathreats of the 21st century as he sets the context for the two day conference and community expo that`s a collaboration between the Australian Bushfire Building Conference, the Asbestos & Hazardous Materials Management Conference and the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Initiative.
Co-founder of the Council for the Human Future, he has written over 9000 articles and 12 books, including How to Fix a Broken Planet, Earth Detox, Poisoned Planet, Surviving the 21st Century, The Coming Famine and Food or War. He will outline how climate change and the toxic tsunami of hazardous substances engulfing the world are two of ten megathreats that need to be addressed together and at the same time, urgently, and he’ll propose a plan for doing this.
Early Bird registrations close on Tuesday 7 October and there is still time to make a submission to be part of this seminal event. Read more about the conference and register here (link in profile): www.fullcycleconference.com.au
We had a fabulous dinner meeting last night to launch Rotarians 4 Planetary Health. It was exciting to bring together so much expertise and care for our community and the health of our planet! Initially we`ll be meeting fortnightly on the 2nd and 4th Monday of the month from 6pm. If you`d like to join us register for the next meeting on Monday 13 October here (link in profile): https://events.humanitix.com/copy-of-rotarians-4-planetary-health
Julie Nance is a community storyteller with the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Initiative. In her coverage of the Lower Mountains area, she brings 30 years’ experience in communications, publishing and journalism.
After specialising in health and social issues as a journalist, Julie led creative teams in the government and not-for-profit sectors including the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, YMCA NSW, Cancer Council NSW and The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.
Julie is passionate about empowering people with quality information to help them make informed choices.
Bill Dixon has cultivated a rainforest garden on a ridge in South Springwood. He talks about how growing rainforest species can be an adaptive response to local climate conditions.
Enjoying this site? Please help spread the word :)
Support the Future of Solutions-Focused Neighbourhood News
