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Today we recognises the sacrifice made by five Geelong West volunteer firefighters that died in the fire at Linton 20 years ago today. We honour and remember the loss of firefighters Christopher Evans (27), Garry Vredeveldt (47), Stuart Davidson (28), Jason Thomas (25) and Matthew Armstrong (17).
To commemorate the event Geelong West Brigade is conducting a memorial service this evening with family representatives, Geelong West Brigade members, CFA members and people from the wider emergency services community gathering at the memorial in West Park, Geelong West.
It was December 2nd 1998, when a bushfire burned through private land and State Forest near the township of Linton. At approximately 8:45pm two CFA tankers and their crews were trapped and engulfed in fire following an unexpected wind change. The crew of one of those trucks – the five men of Geelong West Brigade were tragically lost.
Members from Geelong West Brigade believe it is very important to not just commemorate the fallen firefighters, but also recognise that the five fallen firefighters did not die in vain as their deaths became the catalyst for improved changes in fire-fighting training and fire-ground safety which has potentially saved many lives since.
Some of the key improvements implemented as a result of the learnings from Linton have been the introduction of low water alarms on firefighting trucks to inform crews when water is low, the introduction of minimum skills for all firefighters, improved PPC and equipment as well as new operating procedures for mandatory wind warnings when wind changes are imminent.
The inscription on the path leading to the memorial reads:
This Path Leads To The Memorial Erected By The People Of Linton And Snake Valley To Honour The Five Geelong West Firefighters Who Died After Being Trapped By Fire On 2 December, 1998.
The Eight Pointed Star Represents The Qualities Required By A Firefighter : Tact, Loyalty, Dexterity, Observation, Sympathy, Explicitness, Gallantry And Perseverance.
On behalf of the VFBV Board, CEO and all members we pay our respects and honour the Geelong West crew of Chris, Garry, Stuart, Jason and Matthew. We give thanks to their devotion to duty, and offer our thoughts and prayers for those still mourning their sad loss.
A reminder that the CFA Wellbeing Support Line is 1800 959 232.
The service provides members, staff and their families with a single point of entry to the Member Assistance Program (24-hour counselling) as well as peer support, chaplaincy support, Centre Against Sexual Assault, Bullying and Harassment hotline, manager assist, and organisational wellbeing services. It is a free and confidential service available to all CFA volunteers, employees, and their immediate families.
