plane crash; structure fire and basic skills. One of the highlights was the running of the Fire Investigation scenario that led to the accreditation of 212 volunteers in ‘Protect & Preserve Incident Scene’. Once again, the Exercise was supported by the RFSA and Country Energy. The ongoing success of this Exercise relies on the support of these organisations. Additionally, the SES provided two flood boats and crews for the water challenge scenario, which provided an opportunity for our crews to see how flood boats work and become familiar with their operation.
Also for the first time, Queensland Fire and Rescue (QFRS) crews took part in the Exercise and from all accounts, had a great time. The social side of the weekend is an important part of the Exercise and this year, thanks to the sponsorship of the RFSA, well-known country singer Darren Coggan entertained the crews on Friday night. A great rock band, Fossil Rock provided a great night’s entertainment on the Saturday night. The Basic Skills lane is used to select the best teams to represent the Region at the State Championships. Following
some strong competition, the 2010 winners were the Grafton City crew from Clarence Valley while the Willow Tree team from Liverpool Range came in as runners up. The Scenario Marshals voted for the Best Crew Leader and Strike Team Leaders they saw during the weekend. This year saw Aaron Bayliss from Narara (Region East) nominated as Best Crew Leader and Jillian Guest from Namoi Gwydir Team nominated as Best Strike Team Leader. Both of these members displayed outstanding commitment and leadership to their crews and ensured that their respective crews were well looked after during the whole weekend.
The effort required to run an Exercise of this size requires a considerable commitment from a lot of people. This year Bert Brand and Jim Jameson from Northern Rivers Team and Pat Bradley from New England Team, were recognised. They have shown dedication over many years, and their passion for encouraging and teaching volunteers has been outstanding and much appreciated. Having successfully run the 2010 Exercise, attention now turns to 2011, and ensuring that the standard set over the past 10 years is maintained, and where possible, improved.
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