Whilst Chief Fire Officer, Paul Walker,
has said,“incredible progress” has been made this week in trying
to put out the blaze that has raged through a large part of our Mount
Trashmore dump, the work executed by himself and all the members of
the fire service has also been incredible.

They have been working non-stop since
last Saturday.

By this Monday Walker said he expected
all the fires and hot spots should be extinguished.

Do you remember the fire at the Rubis
fuel tank on South Church Road in 2017? In very dangerous conditions
our fire officers worked for eight hours there.

At that time, Chief Fire Officer David
Hails said in a statement. “They did a great job and all worked
together under challenging circumstances. I am also pleased to report
there were no injuries. This was a potentially dangerous fire
involving a large quantity of fuel, and our first responders did what
needed to be done to keep the public safe.”

And keeping the public safe is their
priority,

Many fire officers are on the volunteer
list.

No amount of pay can compensate for the
bravery these men endure.

Even where I live, miles from the Dump,
I could smell the smoke and after a small sprinkling of rain every
car around me was covered in soot. How much of that, even wearing
masks, have fire officers breathed in?

What do firefighters do when there
isn't a fire?

They practice. The skills required for
safe operations are regularly practiced during training evaluations
throughout a firefighter's career.

Fire officers don't just fight fires.

Fire investigators or fire marshals
investigate the cause of a fire. If the fire was caused by arson or
negligence, their work will overlap with law enforcement.
Firefighters also frequently provide some degree of emergency medical
service, in addition to working with full-time paramedics.

Going back to our dump firefighters.

Thank you.

And we congratulate all of you.