Willow Tree Rural Fire Brigade welcomes new station extensions

Member for the Upper Hunter Michael Johnsen joined NSW RFS Assistant Commissioner Jason Heffernan at the official opening where they inspected the new extensions and thanked volunteers for their ongoing commitment to the Upper Hunter area and the Service.

Mr Johnsen said the new $110,000 improvements to the station would provide enhanced support to volunteers as well as the communities they protect.

“This will further help members of the Willow Tree Brigade assist with vehicle movements, brigade station maintenance and the fighting of fires locally,” Mr Johnsen said.

“We continually see how hard our skilled firefighters and support crews work to keep us safe when bush fires and emergency situations threaten and I offer my sincere thanks and gratitude to all the NSW RFS members for their outstanding efforts.”

Assistant Commissioner Jason Heffernan said the NSW RFS, working cooperatively with the state and local governments, is committed to providing volunteer firefighters with the equipment, infrastructure and resources they need to carry out the important work of protecting their local communities from fire and a diverse array of incidents.

“This facility provides our volunteers with the space to perform vital activities away from the fireground and features two truck bays to allow the storage of emergency response vehicles,” Assistant Commissioner Heffernan said.

“Today, members of this Brigade continue to protect their community from bush fires as well as a diverse array of incidents including structure and vehicle fires, motor vehicle accidents and assisting in search and rescue.

“I would like to take this time to praise all our volunteers for their ongoing efforts each and every day, particularly when dealing with emergencies here in the Liverpool Range District.”

“We also thank the family, friends, employers and colleagues of these and all volunteers. We know it takes their ongoing support and patience which in turn enables Rural Fire Service volunteers do what they do.”