IAN HARTLEY’S STORY - CONT. Quarry Road Bushfire Brigade Esperance Fire & Rescue Brigade
This changed within a few breaths. “John copy, the fire
he hadn’t heard it correctly. Some of the comments that
John pointed the truck up the hill ready to follow, we were
front is standing up,” was my call to John and I don’t
were muttered around our truck you couldn’t put on
in the correct formation, heavy unit behind the machine,
know what was said on the other channel, but I was
paper. This was going pear shaped very quickly. They
sector commander sitting back giving directions from a
ordered back to the truck for protection of the grader.
needed crews out at Cascade.
high spot to see where the machine was tracking to and keeping him on course.
It was hectic for about half an hour, fire just erupting
Crews started checking over their trucks and gearing up
alongside of you when you’re standing on the ground
to travel out to the west of Esperance. Peter and his crew
storing stuff on the truck, people yelling to get out. John
from Condy came past on their 4.4 needing some foam.
opened the door and said we would stay with Tom and
I asked John and we gave them a couple of spare drums
From our vantage point you could see the flames starting
Todd and be the last truck out of the paddock, having
off our truck with a quick word of be careful, then they
to see-saw, stand up, lay down, stand up and then lay
more water and a bigger pump. Plus, the grass was
were gone.
over the other way. Then, between the chatter on the
better than being in four-metre-high wattle. Andy and
Then the wind change hit.
radio from Tom and Murray, the words we all fear; “F$#K
I both heartily agreed. We drove to Annie’s Lane and
I’m not sure of the time at this stage, but it was assumed
IT, Tom I’m bogged! Going to need that D8 back here to
Stockyards Road intersection, passing the dozers
that the main fire had done its run, and crews were split
pull me out with a chain.” John advised that we better get
and the trucks tasked to protect them, to regroup and
up, some down to Stockyards Road to help mop-up,
ready to run hose. We started to guide him as he needed
reassess the situation.
others down Annie’s Lane. Tom took our 2.4 and the light
to do a three point turn so the back of the truck was at
tanker. We were going to run a break across the north-
the fire.
We simply had to wait, with machines all parked up,
eastern edge, back around Bannitup Lake to the other
crews wanting to go down Stockyards Road to help but
fire scar, to have a safe containment line for a back burn
Todd ran past us and up the dune. “F$#k this I’m out
the fire had gone across, cutting of our access. We were
around the lakes. We all concurred it was a good plan. It’s
of here,” came the call from the stricken dozer - that
sitting in the shade of the trucks having some down time,
times like this that you truly appreciate the experienced
was Murray’s last words over the UHF in that machine.
drinks, yarning to different brigades.
machine operators for their skill and judgement. Murray
Andy continued to guide John while I followed Todd up
picked his line and we headed around the edge of the
the dune. A green tunic arm came into view and Todd
I was sitting in the cab listening to the command channel
fire scar up to the top of the dune and then he dropped
grabbed it, helping Murray over the top just as the wind
and heard control give Will at Cascade a weather
out of sight down into the valley. The swamp was further
hit. Then a heartbeat behind that, the heat hit us. It was
update. “Wind change to out of the northwest gusting to
over to the east but the ground was very soft. “Just wait
something else - and we were on the protected side of
100 kilometres an hour.” There was a good 15 second
there till I push a bit of a flat area in and a turnaround
the dune. Tom had been calling Murray over the radio ‘to
pause before Will asked them to repeat it as he thought
point will ya!” was the call over the UHF from Murray.
get his arse over here,’ he was now telling us all in the
pg 34 | ian hartley