Longford Volunteer Fire Brigade

03/09/2026

🔥GET TO KNOW YOUR BRIGADE🔥

Welcome back to another Get to Know Your Brigade.
We are back on time this week after being a day behind. This time we are introducing one of Longford's longer serving members; Daniel McCullagh. While only in his mid twenties Daniel has served an impressive 15 years with the TFS, over the years Daniel has built an excellent range of skills and qualifications including some specialised training. Some qualifications include being a RAT (Remote Area Team), Remote area first aid, CAFS training and crew leader training. Being a Leading Fire Fighter and a Junior/cadet coordinator gives Daniel the opportunity to pass his knowledge and skills to new members and cadets alike.

🚒What made you join the TFS?🚒
- When I was younger my mum was a senior member with the Longford brigade and I joined the junior program as it was something that not many people were doing and I wanted to try something new.

🚒What is your favourite part of volunteering🚒
- Being able to give back to the community, often at people’s worst moments. But overcoming the challenges we are faced with at call can be extremely rewarding and fulfilling.

🚒Most memorable moment?🚒
-Being deployed to the mainland in 2019 to help with the NSW Fires.
-Deploying to Swan island via helicopter in November 2025 with the RAT program. -Escorting Santa around the community on Christmas Eve for the annual lolly run.
-Being able to pass on my knowledge to the next generation of firefighters through the junior/cadet program.

🚒Favourite role at an incident?🚒
- I enjoy getting out into the bush and putting in a hard day's work, using all the tools available. It's a bonus when new members join and i am able to pass along tips and tricks that I have picked up over the years.

🚒What do you do for work?🚒
-I am a qualified Horticulturist and I run my own small gardening business around the Longford Community.

🚒Do you have any Hobbies?🚒
-Riding my mountain bike around many of Tasmania’s great trails, although I have been sticking to riding around the local streets with my partner Olivia and our son. I also enjoy the occasional game of golf and I also play football for the Longford Tigers.

🚒Favourite sports team?🚒
- Richmond Tigers

🚒Favourite Food, colour and place?🚒
-BBQ Steak with roast vegetables.
Lobster falls just outside of mole creek is my favourite place, as it was the location of my first date with Olivia but i am happy anywhere there is a good mountain bike trail or bushwalk to be had.

28/08/2026

🔥GET TO KNOW YOUR BRIGADE🔥

Welcome back to another Get to Know Your Brigade.
This week we would like to introduce Adam Harvey. Adam is a Level 2 FireFighter and has been with us in Longford for 5 years. In those 5 years Adam has developed many skills; a few of which include: Breathing Apparatus, CAFS (Compressed Air Foam System) as well as completing a brigade management course earlier this year.

🚒What made you join the TFS?🚒
- To give back to people in my community, help people in need that very well may be having their worst days, so that you might be able to make it just that much better.

🚒What is your favourite part of volunteering🚒
-Making a difference in the community. Being able to serve and protect vulnerable people and assets alike.


🚒Most memorable moment?🚒
-2025 campaign fire, getting into the thick of it while back burning.

🚒Favourite role at an incident?🚒
- Being a BA Operator, challenging myself and responding to what different incidents can throw at you. No two incidents are the same. I also really enjoy being able to pass on my skill and knowledge to others.

🚒What do you do for work?🚒
-I am a welder by trade and currently a truck driver/operator for Platinum earthworking.

🚒Do you have any Hobbies?🚒
-Anything that gives me the opportunity to be out in nature; Fishing, Camping and quality time with my son and fiancé.

🚒Favourite sports team?🚒
- V8 Super cars - Cam Waters. Soccer - Manchester City. I also Play Futsal for the Net Prophets.

🚒Favourite Food, colour and place?🚒
-Scotch Fillet steak with a seafood topper. Favourite places would be Bicheno or Friendly Beaches.

20/08/2026

🔥GET TO KNOW YOUR BRIGADE🔥

Welcome back to another Get to Know Your Brigade.
This week we are introducing Level 2 FireFighter Olivia Hamilton. Olivia originally joined the Devonport Brigade in 2021 moving to Longford after being introduced to a current member of the Longford Brigade and starting a family together.

Olivia is one of 3 junior coordinators working together to plan, deliver and manage training and mentorship to the 12 Junior members based at the Longford Brigade.
After 5 years with the TFS Olivia has gained a number of skills, qualifications and training including BA (Breathing Apparatus), Advanced Resuscitation and RCR (Road Crash Rescue) training.

⭐️ A fun fact about Olivia - She is one of the few people on earth that believes pineapple belongs on pizza 🍕 🍍

🚒What made you join the TFS?🚒
- A friend convinced me to join the Devonport Brigade as she was the only female member at the time. Building a family meant I transferred to Longford.

🚒What is your favourite part of volunteering🚒
-Helping people, building new connections with new members. Also, building a relationship with my partner Daniel through our shared passion. The Longford Brigade has become like a second family to the three of us.
I am loving my role as a Junior Coordinator, helping the juniors build confidence and teaching them firefighting skills has been extremely rewarding.

🚒Most memorable moment?🚒
-Travelling to Flinders Island to assist with the bushfires in October 2023

🚒Favourite role at an incident?🚒
-Rendering First Aid and being a BA operator

🚒What do you do for work?🚒
-I am an aged care support worker (I love talking with residents and learning their life stories) I am also a student nurse.

🚒Do you have any Hobbies?🚒
-Sewing, Crafts and Baking

🚒Favourite sports team?🚒
- St. Kilda

🚒Favourite Food, colour or place?🚒
-My Nans House; always full of great food and better stories!

13/08/2026

🔥GET TO KNOW YOUR BRIGADE🔥

✨We had a great response to Ben’s profile last week, we will continue this week with Andrew
Duddington. Andrew has been quite a bit more reserved with his answers compared to Ben and
it looks like this will be the way these will look for the majority of our members.✨

Andrew is a newer member to the Brigade and to the TFS with 2 years under his belt. Having
completed Level 1 training earlier this year he is looking for more formal training as he gains
experience. He has completed a Driving Under Operational Conditions course this month which
allows him to drive TFS vehicles under lights and sirens when required. Andrew and another
brigade member were involved in defending and subsequently saving a house during the Cotton
Street fire earlier this year. See a summarised recount of this story below, if you would like to
see the full story leave a comment and we may post Andrew’s full story in the comment section.

🚒What made you join the TFS?🚒
-I wanted to develop new and existing skills and be able to put my existing skills to use helping
our community.

🚒What is your favourite part of volunteering🚒
-My favourite part of volunteering would have to be getting to eat as many left over Christmas
lollies at training nights as possible.

🚒Most memorable moment?🚒
-Tuesday 17th Feb 2026 while buying a carton of milk from the “little” IGA in Longford our pager
app goes off and our internal group chats starts going haywire. I immediately head to the station
and gear up, jumping in the 3.1 appliance with a leading fire fighter. Following our 4.1 appliance
it was a quick 2 minute drive under lights and sirens to the corner of Cotton Street and Cressy
Road. We sat at the intersection as the flames jumped the road from right to left, something I will
never forget.
We were told to head to a property to the left as there was a house coming under threat, after a
vehicle was moved out of the way (with 2 tyres on fire) we drove the 3.1 appliance into the front
yard, deployed our lines and got to work protecting the house and chook shed. We continued
this for several hours emptying our 3000 litre tank a number of times, filling up at a nearby dam.
The smoke was so thick that even though we were metres apart we often could not see each
other.
With the help of 3 aerial support choppers and pretty much every brigade within a 50km radius
of Longford we finally managed to gain control of the fire.
The one thing that gave me the confidence to stand in front of this house and defend it with only
one other member was the quality,relevant and regular training that we do weekly at Longford.
Training for the fire, not at the fire.

🚒Favourite role at an incident?🚒
-Driving the appliance and being on the branch.

🚒What do you do for work?🚒
-I work for an international oil company, supporting the aviation industry. Previously I was a
flying instructor.

🚒Do you have any Hobbies?🚒
-I build and fly large scale remote control aircraft

🚒Favourite sports team?🚒
-I don’t mind the occasional game of Golf and kicking the footy with my boys.

🚒Favourite Food, colour and place?🚒
- My favourite food would be my 8x weetbix, milk and honey that i have every morning. My
favourite place would be the RC flying club The Phoenix Flyers of Launceston based in Longford.

11/08/2026

⚡️🚒 Electric Vehicle Training

On Monday night, Daniel McCullagh led members through an online training module focused on Electric Vehicles and the different types of hybrid vehicles we are increasingly encountering on our roads.

Electric Vehicles (EVs), Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) are becoming far more common, making it important that we continue to build our knowledge and maintain our training in how to safely manage these vehicles at incidents.

Electric vehicles present a number of hazards that are unique to their design and operation. This training helps ensure our crews can approach and work around these vehicles as safely as possible, protecting both our members and the wider community.

The training covered a range of important topics, including:
🔹 Identifying different types of electric and hybrid vehicles
🔹 Understanding how electric vehicles operate
🔹 Safely shutting down high-voltage systems
🔹 Identifying potential issues with battery cells

Ongoing training like this ensures our members are better prepared to safely and effectively respond to incidents involving the growing number of electric and hybrid vehicles on our roads. ⚡🚒

06/08/2026

🔥GET TO KNOW YOUR BRIGADE🔥

✨This is the first of many posts to introduce our members to the community. We have asked our members a number of questions and will post their answers periodically. It is worth noting; Ben has lead by example and has given a lot of detail in his answers. Rest assured there will not be this much reading in subsequent posts✨

We are starting this from the top with our Brigade Chief Ben Wyatt. After working through FireFighter, Leading FireFighter, 4th Officer then making the jump in mid June 2025 to Brigade Chief.

Through 7 years with the Tasmanian Fire Service Ben has gained numerous qualifications including Breathing Apparatus (BA), Advanced Resuscitation and of course Brigade Management and Leadership.

🚒What made you join the TFS?🚒
-Seeing Tasmanian Firefighters and our Mainland counterparts coming together to fight large campaign fires on the news and other media was an inspiration. After my Partner and I purchased property in Longford mates who were already members at the Longford brigade suggested I head down and join.

🚒What is your favourite part of volunteering🚒
-It is hard to pick just one part. I find a great deal of satisfaction helping members develop their skill sets, raise their self confidence and work together as part of a team to succeed in challenging conditions. Leading a team of exceptional volunteers who strive for the same outcome and watching that team help our community members through some of their worst days has been incredibly rewarding.

🚒Most memorable moment?🚒
-Most recently would have to be the vegetation fire in our own patch at Cotton Street earlier this year. When the call came through I was working in Legerwood and made the decision to get back to town as quickly as possible. Little known to the public- prior to this incident our crews had spent much of the morning responding another fire out of town. Crews had barely had a break before being called to what was the largest vegetation fire Longford had seen in recent times. I arrived a couple hours after it all kicked off and was incredibly impressed to see not only Longford Brigade but many other neighbouring brigades pitching and working together to protect the community.

🚒Favourite role at an incident?🚒
-This varies, I Enjoy the challenges that responding to incidents can throw our way. Being able to teach people new skills on the fire ground as well as maintaining or developing my own. Being the IC (Incident Control) at a call is surefire way to test your problem solving skills on the fly. I find myself taking lessons from each incident I lead which is something I really enjoy.

🚒What do you do for work?🚒
-I am a field service technician for Darling Irrigation, delivering and maintaining large scale irrigation systems and infrastructure across a large number of farms throughout the state.

🚒Do you have any Hobbies?🚒
-Anything that gets me off the beaten track. Fishing has been a passion for as long as I can remember. Hunting, camping and four wheel driving all go hand in hand. As well as spending time with my fiancé and two young sons.

🚒Favourite sports team?🚒
-I am a one eyed Carlton Blues supporter.

🚒Favourite Food, colour and place?🚒
- A Good Steak! The colour Blue and the Central Highlands of Tasmania.

24/07/2026

Stay safe on the roads over the weekend, make sure to check road conditions before setting out.

**This Road Weather Alert has been cancelled. Please drive safely, everyone.

Keep up-to-date with weather information & warnings - https://www.bom.gov.au/tas/warnings/
______

⚠️ A Road Weather Alert issued by the Bureau of Meteorology remains current for today (Friday).

❄️ Snow covered roads above 400 metres will make driving conditions dangerous in parts of the:
📌 Western, and
📌 Central Plateau forecast districts.

🧊 Remember black ice is often invisible, so even if you can't see any ice, the road could be slippery.
✋ If you're on the roads, please take it slow.
💡 Put your headlights on if visibility is poor.
🔙 Leave plenty of space between vehicles.
🚫 Obey any road closures or warning signs about hazardous conditions.

ℹ Stay up to date with road closures at https://www.police.tas.gov.au/community-alerts/

17/07/2026

If you see fire trucks and firefighters at the Launceston General Hospital tonight (Friday, 17 July) between 7pm and 8pm - please don't be alarmed, it's planned training.

Training exercises like this are a valuable opportunity for Tasmania Fire Service and Launceston General Hospital staff to work together to test emergency response capabilities.

Patients, staff, and visitors will continue to be able to access the hospital as normal. However, we kindly ask that members of the community don’t attend the area with the sole purpose of observing our training.

13/07/2026

The National Emergency Management Agency will be conducting a nationwide test of the new AusAlert system on Monday 27th July at around 2pm AEST.

This test will sound a loud siren and vibration on all compatible devices in the country and will override silent mode.

As this is a critical test, it cannot be opted out of using phone settings. To avoid receiving an alert you can turn off your device or set it to aeroplane mode at least an hour before the scheduled time.

For more information please visit:
https://www.ausalert.gov.au/

10/04/2026

On behalf of the Longford Fire Brigade we would like to pass on our gratitude to Ron Denne for all of his support and guidance fulfilling his duties as the Norfolk Plains Group Officer.

Ron recently stepped down as the Group Officer after a ten year tenure in the role. During that time Ron has been an absolute pillar of support for all brigades within the Norfolk Plains group. Ron is one of the greatest people to ever do it and is well known within the communities of Longford and surrounds.

We are incredibly proud to have Ron as a part of our brigade. Ron joined the TFS over 35 years ago and he is always motivated to share his learnings and experiences he has encountered during that time with our members. Ron is highly motivated to get brigades together for regular training and works closely with brigade leadership to co-ordinate training and community events. Ron was instrumental at assisting with the Bishopsbourne/Longford brigade amalgamations and members to this day commend him on his time and efforts in ensuring this process was smooth for all involved.

Although Ron has relinquished the role of group officer we are pleased to be able to say that he is continuing his service with the TFS and will remain as a member of the Longford Fire Brigade. Ron will also continue to serve as our local permit officer, a role that he truly enjoys undertaking. Ron often comes to training nights with great stories and tales from the local area that make us feel pretty special for being a part of it all.

Thank you Ron. Thank you for all you have done and continue to do for not only the Longford Fire Brigade but more importantly the Longford community. 10 years as the group officer is an impressive achievement and 35 years with the Tasmania Fire Service is even more outstanding. We hope to have you aboard for many more to come!

Ron passes the torch on to Tom Green of the Lake River fire brigade. Tom is highly motivated and brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the role. We wish Tom all the best and look forward to working with him soon.

Ronnie isn't going anywhere. At this rate he will outlast our youngest members 😅