KEDUMBA WALLS NORTH HR

The call came on Wednesday: RFS crews were needed to assist National Parks with a hazard reduction (HR) at Chester Road on Kings Tableland.

The weather looked promising: light winds and no rain… Crews from RFS, Parks and Fire and Rescue arrived at the staging area. The briefing was finished by 09:00, the yummy Blackheath Deli sandwiches dispatched, and we were in our sector waiting for the burn to start. In the meantime, after checking our area, cleaning around a few trees, we indulged in looking at Parkair 3 antics…

Soon before 11:00 we started to see some smoke. The drip torches came out and the HR started in earnest! We worked alongside the Katoomba-Leura crew and Parks. The vegetation was varied: heath-like, swamps and sclerophyll forest along the trail. As the temperatures rised, so did the flames!
By 14:00 the edge was in and Parkair was throwing incendiaries.

After a luxurious lunch (thank you Blackheath Deli!), the mopping up started: most of the area had cooled down and there was not too much to do except for a few hollow trees and small logs. Even better, rain was forecasted for the next few days! We were released at 16:00.

I just love working with Parks: it is no nonsense and professional! All the agencies worked well together and the mission – burn safely 50% of the area – was accomplished! A good day!