News – VOLUNTEER FIRE & RESCUE SERVICES ASSOCIATION OF WA (inc)

State Open Two Day Event – This Weekend

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Time & Location

27 Feb, 9:00 am – 28 Feb, 12:00 pm

Gilbert Fraser Reserve, 30 John St, North Fremantle WA 6159, Australia

About the Event

Come down and watch Volunteer Firefighters from all over Western Australia compete in traditional and modern firefighting games.

Saturday’s Program of events, which will be run on the main track include:

Hydrant Races
Double Flaked Hose Event
Hose and Ladder Races
Light Tanker Races and
Wet Hose Events

On Sunday, a six event Operational Equipment competition will be held.

The first event will commence at 0900 hours until midday or thereabouts; followed by a sausage sizzle, a few drinks and a chance to catch up with members of Brigades from all over the State.

At this stage, it is a trial to gauge interest and provide Brigades with some training exercises that can be undertaken with small crews. Five of the six events are for crews of four, whilst the final event is a two competitor event (two events with a light tanker, two events with a pumper and two events on the ground).

All equipment will be provided to teams, so you just have to find 4 members (you can even make up a team from various Brigades in your Zone if you need to) and come down to North Fremantle to have a go. Winners of the overall competition will win a carton or two of a refreshing beverage.

To give you an idea of the events, check out the following videos from the Australasian Firefighting Championships:

Hose and Hydrant Event – 4 competitors
Another version of this event is shown here
Hose, Hydrant and Pumper Event – 4 competitors

Other events run at the Australasian Championships can be found at their You Tube channel. Our events will not be run on the competition track, not on grass.

It would be great to see as many of you as can get down – we’re hoping that this will turn into a separate competition that we can run at the Easter Championships.

If you’ve got any questions, please contact Jodie Neuzerling at competition@vfrs.asn.au.

Deck your car out with VFF special number plates

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Our VFF special number plates are super popular.

They look top notch and stand out on any vehicle. Did you know you can order them, and the plastic surrounds, through the Volunteer Fire and Rescue Services Association?

How much does VFF special number plates and surrounds cost?

The cost to purchase VFF special number plates and a set of plastic surrounds (as shown in the photo banner above) plus postage of the surrounds is $290.

The Department of Transport will contact you when your VFF special number plates are ready for collection from your local licensing centre.

How do I purchase VFF special number plates and surrounds?

Email admin@vfrs.asn.au to check if the number plate you would like is available. We suggest you email three numbers. For example VFF 82, VFF 058 or VFF 975.

Once you have received confirmation from us that the VFF special number plate is available, please email the completed VFF Special Number Plate Application Form to admin@vfrs.asn.au along with your:

Name
Postage Address for the plastic surrounds
Contact telephone number

Then an invoice will be emailed to you. Once payment has been received, the Department of Transport will process your application. Generally it takes six weeks before the VFF special number plates will be ready for collection from your local licensing centre.

Did you know we have a merchandise shop?

Click here to check out other items we have in stock including beanies, shirts, glassware, bags, soft toys and much more!

Southern Cross Picnic Demo Results

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We hope everyone who participated in the Southern Cross Picnic Demo over the weekend has recovered well.

From a competition perspective, it was a “good hit out” and a great celebration of brigade service afterwards.

Many thanks to Spud and the crew, for not only for hosting the picnic competition and organising the formal event for recognition of service afterwards, but for providing us with a great example of how to create and maintain a healthy and vibrant culture within a brigade. It is our sincere hope that this is somewhat contagious and it’ll help other brigades come up with similar ways of creating momentum within their own brigades.

We also need to thank the Kalamunda VFRS crew for coming all the way up to Southern Cross on the promise of a few service events.

They competed well and managed to pull places between first and third in all the events we ran. It also helped significantly with our understanding of how to actually do the runs.

Noteworthy, were the results of the Pumper Breech event. All three teams that ran this managed to stuff it up in their own unique way, but the time variance between first and third was less than 5 seconds!

Click here for all the results from the Southern Cross Picnic Demo.

Regarding the service events, TJ and Ross have a working theory that any more than 20 twists in the red 40mm hose will not “unspin” themselves automatically with the application of water pressure. They look forward to refining this theory at Fremantle next weekend.

For those competing next weekend at the State Opens, please drive safe and we will catch you down there.

Has your brigade considered putting together a running team?

Come down to the State Open’s on 27 and 28 February at Gilbert Fraser Reserve, North Fremantle and check out what the events are all about. The weekend will comprise of traditional games plus we are implementing modern firefighting games too. If you have any questions or would like to know more, contact Jodie by email at competition@vfrs.asn.au.

World Firefighters Games 2022

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The World Firefighters Games Governing Body is pleased to announce that the 14^th World Firefighters Games will be hosted by the City of Lisbon, Portugal from 30 April to 7 May 2022.

The City of Lisbon has been selected on its merits of being a fantastic location, its vibrancy and its overwhelming desire to welcome firefighters from all around the world, to view, taste and feel the warmth of this historic city. It is hoped that you, your colleagues and of course your families will join The World Firefighters Games Governing Body in Lisbon for 8 days of competition, camaraderie and of course the enjoyment that the World Firefighters Games brings to all of those involved.

For more information about the 14^th World Firefighters Games please visit www.wfg2022.pt or follow them on Facebook at wfg2022.

Ray Willis – Champion WA Volunteer Fireman

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One of Western Australia’s Volunteer Fire Brigade’s greatest and most consistent athletes

(WA Fire Brigade News Sheet, 30 Sept: 1979)

Kalgoorlie born Ray Willis was an active member of the South Kalgoorlie (SKVFB) and Kambalda (KVFB) Volunteer Fire Brigades for some 16 years. He joined SKVFB in 1962 at the age of 18 and began competing in the Volunteer Fire Brigade championships in 1963. During the summer months, this sport formed a large part of the brigade activities and Ray quickly earned a reputation as an accomplished athlete. He competed in both state and interstate championships winning numerous events and a total of 13 individual Champion Fireman awards including two Rex Mitchell gold medals for the title “Western Australian Champion Fireman”.

A champion ladder man, Ray won the blue ribbon “Ladder Race for One Man” competing against 137 brigades in 1968 at the Victorian State Championships in Echuca. He is the second only West Australian fireman (previously 1948) to achieve this feat since WA teams first began travelling to Victorian championships in 1899. The WA Fire Brigades Board Chief Officer F.E. Harding acknowledged this magnificent achievement in a letter congratulating Ray on his “meritorious” win that “reflects credit to the whole of the Fire Service of Western Australia”.

Ray was Goldfields Dry-Work Champion Fireman from 1967-71 & 1973-74, Goldfields Zone Champion Fireman from 1968-69, 1971 & 1973, WA Champion Fireman in 1969 & 1973 runner up in 1970, 1971 & 1974. He did not compete in the 1965-66 WA State Championships as he was living interstate and in 1972 illness limited his participation.

Ray was also an exceptionally fast runner. He won the 100 yards sprint event at the 1965 Victorian Championship in Ballarat, the 1967 & 1968 (dead heat) WA State Championships and again in 1970 at the Tasmanian Championship in Burnie. In 1967, wearing long pants and sandshoes on a bitumen track, he ran the fastest time (10.00 sec.) ever recorded at a WA Championship.

Ray was a SKVFB member from 1962 to early 1965 and again from 1967-70 followed by the Kambalda Brigade from 1971-78. Whilst a member of these brigades he competed at the Victorian Urban Fire Brigades Championships in 1965, 1968, 1970, 1975, 1977 and the Tasmanian Championship in 1970. He enjoyed many team successes with SKVFB winning the WA “A” Class Championship in 1968 and 1969 and runner-up in 1964, 1967 and 1970.

In the 1970 WA Championship, Ray pulled a hamstring muscle in the final heat of the last event which set his team back from winning a third consecutive WA ‘A” Class Championship. He was also forced to forfeit a run-off for WA Champion Fireman, a title he won in 1969. After this injury, Ray often suffered with recurring hamstring problems.

In 1971 Ray transferred to the Kambalda Brigade which subsequently won the WA “C” Class Championship. It was the first State Championship the brigade

had attended and the team set record times in four of the seven wet-work events. The following year the brigade won the “B” Class Championship and set a record of 19.68 seconds for the Hose & Ladder Five Men event also beating the “A” Class record. Three of these records still stand today; Hose & Ladder 5 Men in 1971 & 1972 and the Blue Ribbon Hose Practice 8 Men in 1971. Ray was the ladder man for the two Hose & Ladder 5 events and hydrant man for the Blue Ribbon Hose Practice 8 men.

Ray was brigade secretary from 1973–75 and elected captain/coach from late 1975 to 1978. Under his leadership the brigade won its first W.A. ‘A’ Class Championship in 1977 and 1978. The Brigade also won the April 1977 Goldfields Sports Star award. On leaving Kambalda in late 1978, Ray was awarded Life Membership of the Kambalda Brigade. He later transferred to the Mandurah Volunteer Fire Brigade in 1979 but resigned shortly after due to other commitments.

Ray then undertook judging duties at WA State Championships for a few years and from 1984-6 was elected President of the WA League of Champion Firemen. During his tenure, funds were raised to purchase gold for future “Rex Mitchell” champion fireman medals. The league membership badge was also designed and issued.

As well as contributing to Kalgoorlie’s reputation as a top sporting centre, Ray was unknowingly continuing a family tradition of volunteer firemen and athleticism. Back in 1889 and 1896, his great uncle W.H. Johnson was a member of the Ballarat brigade and was awarded two medals for winning in team events at the Victorian Championships. The Johnson family in Ballarat has handed down these medals to Ray for keeping.

Compiled by Vanessa Evangelista in 2016 and verified by Rod McNally (past General Secretary – WAVFRS Association) as a true and fair record of the achievements of Champion Fireman and Ex Captain Ray Willis.

Mandurah VFRS Junior Picnic Competition, 20 September 2020

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In cool, windy and occasionally wet weather a Junior Competition was held at the Mandurah Track on the Western Foreshore.

This was the last competition on the track before it is to be torn up to make way for a new development along the foreshore. Given the conditions the program was modified to only run the Dry Work events and the 2 Competitor Wet Hose, 4 Competitor Single Disc and 4 Competitor Double Disc.

4 Junior Teams and 6 Sub Junior Teams competed from 3 brigades. Given the conditions and being the first competition of the season the times for the events were very good. Harvey proved once again that they have good depth in both the Sub Juniors and Juniors and was the Overall Champion Brigade.

As the current State Champions and also Overall Champions at the 2020 Victorian Championships they are throwing out the challenge to brigades for this year’s State Junior Championships.

RESULTS

EVENT 1: 4 COMPETITOR Y COUPLING

Sub Juniors Juniors

1^st: Harvey 1 Time: 12.29 s 1^st: Brunswick 1 Time: 10.00 s

2^nd: Brunswick 2 Time: 15.26 s 2^nd: Harvey 2 Time: 10.37 s

3^rd: Mandurah 2 Time: 19.42 s 3^rd: Mandurah 1 Time: 12.67 s

4^th: Time: 4^th: Harvey 1 Time: 14.78 s

5^th: Time: 5^th: Time:

EVENT 2: 2 COMPETITOR Y COUPLING

Sub Juniors Juniors

1^st: Harvey 1 (1) Time: 15.92 s 1^st: Harvey 1 (2) Time: 14.24 s

2^nd: Mandurah 1 (1) Time: 16.69 s 2^nd: Harvey 2 (2) Time: 15.04 s

3^rd: Harvey 1 (2) Time: 18.37 s 3^rd: Mandurah 1 (1) Time: 15.29 s

4^th: Brunswick 1 (2) Time: 19.89 s 4^th: Harvey 1 (1) Time: 16.05 s

5^th: Mandurah 1 (2) Time: 22.83 s 5^th: Harvey 2 (1) Time: 16.16 s

EVENT 3: 1 COMPETITOR Y COUPLING

Sub Juniors Juniors

1^st: Harvey 1 (2) Time: 22.72 s 1^st: Harvey 1 (2) Time: 19.87 s

2^nd: Mandurah 1 (2) Time: 27.29 s 2^nd: Brunswick 1(1) Time: 20.73 s

3^rd: Brunswick 1 (1) Time: 28.03 s 3^rd: Harvey 1 (1) Time: 22.33 s

4^th: Mandurah 1 (1) Time: 31.05 s 4^th: Mandurah 1 (1) Time: 23.89 s

5^th: Harvey 1 (1) Time: 31.74 s 5^th: Brunswick 1 (2) Time: 24.37 s

EVENT 4: 2 COMPETITOR MARSHALL

Sub Juniors Juniors

1^st: Harvey 1 (1) Time: 22.44 s 1^st: Harvey 2 (2) Time: 18.43 s

2^nd: Mandurah 1 (1) Time: 26.67 s 2^nd: Brunswick 1(1) Time: 18.66 s

3^rd: Brunswick 1 (1) Time: 29.14 s 3^rd: Harvey 1 (2) Time: 20.30 s

4^th: Brunswick 1 (2) Time: 47.30 s 4^th: Harvey 2 (1) Time: 21.79 s

5^th: Time: 5^th: Mandurah 1 (1) Time: 25.06 s

EVENT 5: 1 COMPETITOR MARSHALL

Sub Juniors Juniors

1^st: Harvey 1 (2) Time: 35.20 s 1^st: Harvey 2 (1) Time: 29.73 s

2^nd: Harvey 1 (1) Time: 42.06 s 2^nd: Harvey 1(1) Time: 32.61 s

3^rd: Mandurah 1 (1) Time: 44.06 s 3^rd: Brunswick 1 (1) Time: 34.55 s

4^th: Mandurah 1 (2) Time: 47.50 s 4^th: Brunswick 1 (2) Time: 36.02 s

5^th: Brunswick 1 (2) Time: 51.55 s 5^th: Mandurah 1 (1) Time: 36.89 s

EVENT 6: 1 COMPETITOR HYDRANT RACE

Sub Juniors Juniors

1^st: Harvey 2 (1) Time: 12.74 s 1^st: Brunswick 1 (1) Time: 12.28 s

2^nd: Brunswick 1 (1) Time: 13.48 s 2^nd: Harvey 1(1) Time: 12.98 s

3^rd: Mandurah 1 (1) Time: 13.49 s 3^rd: Harvey 2 (1) Time: 13.54 s

4^th: Harvey 1 (1) Time: 14.82 s 4^th: Harvey 2 (2) Time: 14.27 s

5^th: Brunswick 2 (1) Time: 15.75 s 5^th: Mandurah 1 (1) Time: 15.84 s

EVENT 7: 2 COMPETITOR WET HOSE

Sub Juniors Juniors

1^st: Harvey 1 (1) Time: 15.22 s 1^st: Harvey 1 (2) Time: 12.76 s

2^nd: Brunswick 1 (2) Time: 16.85 s 2^nd: Harvey 1(1) Time: 13.59 s

3^rd: Brunswick 1 (1) Time: 17.23 s 3^rd: Harvey 2 (2) Time: 14.54 s

4^th: Mandurah 1 (1) Time: 17.74 s 4^th: Brunswick 1 (1) Time: 16.17 s

5^th: Harvey 1 (2) Time: 19.58 s 5^th: Time:

EVENT 8: 4 COMPETITOR SINGLE DISC

Sub Juniors Juniors

1^st: Brunswick 1 Time: 24.40 s 1^st: Harvey 1 Time: 18.62 s

2^nd: Harvey 1 Time: 26.63 s 2^nd: Brunswick 1 Time: 19.99 s

3^rd: Brunswick 2 Time: 29.35 s 3^rd: Harvey 2 Time: 20.76 s

4^th: Mandurah 2 Time: 43.40 s 4^th: Mandurah 1 (1) Time: 22.69 s

5^th: Mandurah 1 Time: 46.20 s 5^th: Time:

EVENT 9: 4 COMPETITOR DOUBLE DISC

Sub Juniors Juniors

1^st: Brunswick 1 Time: 28.16 s 1^st: Harvey 1 Time: 19.80 s

2^nd: Mandurah 1 Time: 30.72 s 2^nd: Harvey 2 Time: 20.76 s

3^rd: Harvey 1 Time: 30.98 s 3^rd: Mandurah 1 Time: 24.02 s

4^th: Brunswick 2 Time: 37.21 s 4^th: Time:

5^th: Mandurah 2 Time: 61.78 s 5^th: Time:

CHAMPION FIREFIGHTER:

Sub Juniors Juniors

1^st: Harvey 1 (2D) 10 points 1^st: Brunswick 1 (1D) 12 points

2^nd: Mandurah 1 (1D) 8 points 2^nd: Harvey 1 (1D) 11 points

3^rd: Harvey 1 (1D) 7 points 3^rd: Harvey 2 (2D) 8 points

CHAMPION BRIGADES

Sub Juniors Juniors Overall

1^st: Harvey 64 points 1^st: Harvey 1 65 points 1^st: Harvey 1 129 points

2^nd: Brunswick 1 41 points 2^nd: Brunswick 1 40 points 2^nd: Brunswick 1 81 points

3^rd: Mandurah 1 37 points 3^rd: Harvey 2 38 points 3^rd: Mandurah 1 62 points

Notice of 2020 Annual General Meeting

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In accordance with the Constitution, NOTICE is hereby given that the 2020 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the Volunteer Fire and Rescue Services Association of WA (Inc) will be conducted on Saturday 17^th October 2020; at Crown Perth commencing at 1500 hours.

Brigades who wish to put forward a “Notice of Motion” are advised to do so by noon on Friday 2^nd October 2020. These requests may be submitted in writing to PO Box 2417, High Wycombe WA 6057 or via email to Executive Officer Ken O’Reilly via email address executive@vfrs.asn.au.

Notices of Motion will be circulated with the Agenda and draft Annual Report no later than Friday 9^th October 2020.

Ken O’Reilly

Executive Officer

Special Offer on Rugby Jumpers

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WA Volunteer Fire & Rescue Rugby Jumpers Available to Purchase

Cut for a classic fit with ribbed sleeve cuffs and an internal contrast woven back neck dome, our rugby jumpers have concealed 3-button placket and a straight hem with side splits.

The 350gsm rugby knit fabric comprises of 65% Polyester for durability, and 35% Cotton for comfort and has the WA Volunteer logo embordered on the chest.

Special offer!

For the month of September, if you or your brigade pre-order 10 or more rugby jumpers, you’ll receive one free!

How much do rugby jumpers cost?

The cost per rugby jumper is $45.00 plus postage if you are unable to collect your order from our Guildford office.

How do I order a rugby jumper for me and the rest of my brigade?

If you would like to pre-order rugby jumpers, please email the Volunteer Fire & Rescue Association of WA no later than Friday, 2 October:

Your name and contact details
How many rugby jumpers you would like to order and the sizes required
If you would like to collect your order from the office in Guildford to save on postage costs

We will then be in touch with you to confirm your order and to organise payment. Rugby jumpers are anticipated to arrive by mid-October 2020.

How do I know what size to order?

You can order rugby jumpers in the following sizes: