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.