Author: John Blackburn

Time To Prepare

Time To Prepare Your Property

Prepare Your Property, Protect Your Property.

Spring is with us and that means it’s time to start preparing your property for fire season!

If you live in an area that could be impacted by grass or bushfires, preparing your property is essential to minimising the risk of damage to your property if a fire occurs.

Need some tips and advise on how to prepare your property? Our Property Advise Visit Service (PAVS) is a free service available to local residents that typically involves a 15- 20 minute meeting at your property. You will receive publications, planning templates, information about your local risk and preparing for fire.

For more information about PAVS, see upweycfa.org.au/community-support

More information about preparing your property can be found at
cfa.vic.gov.au/plan-prepare/how-to-prepare-your-property

Tags Property Preparation

Home Fire Safety

Smoke Alarms In Bedrooms

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 30 July 2024

Smoke Alarms In Bedroom

Is there a working smoke alarm in your bedroom?

You’ve updated your bedrooms with the latest tech and furniture, but have you considered that the most important item is a smoke alarm?

Some people think the smoke alarm outside their bedroom is enough to alert them to fire. Research has revealed that when a fire starts in a bedroom with doors closed, the smoke alarm outside the bedroom will not activate.

More information about smoke alarms visit www.cfa.vic.gov.au/sleepfiresafe

Tags Smoke Alarms

Events

2nd Chance Book Sale 2024

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 11 July 2024
Sticky post

2nd Chance Booksale

2nd Chance Booksale 2024

Join us Saturday 17th August 2024 at the Upwey Fire Brigade 2nd Chance Booksale.

We have a big range of used books, CDs, DVDs and vinyl records available for sale with some items available from just $1-00 each.

Doors open from 9:00am to 2:00pm.

Grab yourself a bargain, meet the wonderful volunteers from your local fire brigade and enjoy a drink or a bite to eat at the sausage sizzle. Get information about how to be fire safe.

See our events page or visit us on Facebook for more details.

Tags Book Sale

News

3MDR Vinyl Fair 2024

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 10 July 2024

3MDR Vinyl Fair 2024

Radio Station 3MDR has gathered together an eclectic mix of second hand and new vinyl sellers for their Vinyl Fair.

Upwey Music will be there with instruments and accessories, 3MDR DJs will be spinning tunes and The Fat Goat are pouring drinks!!

Open from 10am – 4pm at the Blue Hills Centre, near the skate park, Mahoney’s Road Upwey.

FREE entry!!

More information visit: https://www.3mdr.com/3mdr-vinyl-fair/

Tags 3MDR

Brigade Activities

Hose Laying Drill 2024

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 22 June 2024

Hose Laying Drill

Training Drill

Last night (Wednesday 19/6/2024) our members were out at various locations around Upwey practicing deploying hose lines and connecting to a water supply.

This is an important drill we regularly practice so our crews can get water onto a real fire in a timely and efficient way.

Tags Training

Announcement

No Burning Off 2024

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 14 June 2024

Burning Off Restrictions 2024

Burning Off Restictions Now In Place

Reminder. No burning off is permitted during June and July 2024.

More information visit: https://www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Environment/Burning-off

Tags Burning off

Home Fire Safety

LG Battery Recall Alert

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 8 June 2024

Urgent LG Battery Recall

Do you own any of these?

An Urgent Electrical Safety Recall has been issued on LG Energy Storage System (ESS) Home Batteries.

Affected Batteries may overheat and catch on fire, which can result in severe property damage, serious injuries or death. Incidents have occured and caused damage to property and injury.

You should urgently check your home batteries serial number via our Serial Number Checker to know whether your product is affected.

If you have previously checked your LG battery, please check it again because the recalls have expanded to include additional models and batteries.

More information visit www.lgessbattery.com/au/recall/serialcheck.lg

Tags LG, Recall

Home Fire Safety

Smoke Alarms For Hearing Impaired

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 31 May 2024

Smoke Alarms for Hearing Impaired

Specialised Smoke Alarms.

An important fire safety message from CFA is “working smoke alarms save lives”.

A working smoke alarm can detect the presence of smoke and alert you by sounding a loud audible alarm.

But what if you are hearing is impaired? Did you know there are specialised smoke alarms available for people who may have difficulty hearing standard smoke alarms and evacuation systems.

The main body of the unit looks like a normal smoke alarm on your ceiling. The other parts are a strobe light (sight) and vibrating pad (tactile) for your bed. In the event of a fire, all alarms will sound, the lights will flash, and the vibrating pad will activate.

If you or someone you know might need a specialised smoke alarm visit cfa.vic.gov.au/smokealarms

Tags Smoke Alarms, Smoke Detector

News

Stair Climb 2024

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 24 May 2024

Stair Climb 2024

Upwey Fire Fighters Stair Climb 2024

On September 7th 2024, 4 members from Upwey Fire Brigade will be climbing 28 floors in full structure gear and breathing apparatus weighing 25kg for the Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb to raise donations and support cancer, depression, and suicide research.

You can help fight cancer, depression and suicide by sponsoring them via the link below. Every cent you donate goes directly towards fighting cancer through research and crisis support. All donations are tax deductible.Thank you to all our sponsors so far.

https://www.firefighterclimb.org.au/don…/donate/cfa/upwey/

If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or a crisis, please reach out immediately to Lifeline on 13 11 14 or contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636

Tags Stair Climb

Home Fire Safety

Avoid Chimney Fires

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 18 May 2024

Clean Your Chimney Annually

Avoid A Chimney Fire In Your Home.

With the cooler months upons us CFA is encouraging residents to keep themselves safe by checking and maintaining their fireplaces, chimneys, fireboxes and flues.

Spending a few minutes to check your chimney could be one of the most important fire safety actions you take this season.

You can easily check for creosote build-up or obstructions by simply using a torch before lighting a fire. Or you can engage a professional chimney sweep to check and clean your chimney for you.

CFA recommends you have your chimney cleaned annually and regularly test your smoke alarms to ensure they are working.

More information visit https://news.cfa.vic.gov.au/…/chimney-check-is-crucial…

Tags Chimney

Events

Jumble Sale 2024

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 18 April 2024

Upwey CFA 53rd Annual Jumble Sale

Everyone at Upwey CFA is excited to announce the 53rd Annual Jumble Sale will be held Saturday May 4th 2024.

A timeless tradition of the Upwey township. This once-a-year event offers an opportunity for the community to upcycle unwanted goods and score a bargain buy.

Keep an eye out for our flyers arriving in your letter box.

For more information, visit our facebook page

Tags Jumble Sale

Announcement

Fire Danger Period Update April 2024

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 3 April 2024

Fire Danger Period Update 2024

The Fire Danger Period for Knox City Council, Manningham Council, Maroondah City Council and Yarra Ranges Council will be lifted as of 1am Monday 15^th April 2023.

If you burn off after the conclusion of the Fire Danger Period, please be mindful that it is easy to lose control of your small burn-off. You can refer to the CFA brochure ‘Are you burning off safely?’ to ensure your burn remains safe and legal. Take care and make sure you have water available at all times and never leave your burn-off unattended.

Your local CFA Brigade can provide you with advice on how to safely burn-off, and how to best prepare yourself and your property for the next fire season.

Before lighting a burn-off, we urge residents to always notify their neighbours and register their burn either online via firepermits.vic.gov.au or by calling the Burn-Off Notification Line on 1800 668 511.

Always check and adhere to your council’s local laws and regulations before burning off.

For more information

www.cfa.vic.gov.au/firedangerperiod

Tags fire danger period

Brigade Activities Events

RSL Family Fun Day 2024

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 7 March 2024

Upwey-Belgrave RSL Family Fun Day 2024

Upwey-Belgrave RSL
Family Fun Day &
Volunteer Expo

Saturday 16 March 2024
11:00 am – 3:00 pm

The RSL is holding a Family Fun Day & Volunteer Expo. Your local CFA fire fighters will be in attendance.

Meet and talk with your local fire fighters
See one of our fire trucks
Get free fire safety information

This is a community initiative by the RSL and we hope to see you there. Come and say hello.

Burrinja Live On The Lawn 2024

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 22 February 2024

Burrinja Live On The Lawn 2024

Saturday 24th February 2024

Burrinja Live On The Lawn 2024 – 12:00pm onwards

Burrinja Cultural Centre is holding their Live On The Lawn afternoon and your Upwey CFA fire fighters will be in attendance.

Meet your local fire fighters
See one of our fire trucks
Get free fire safety information
Enjoy the music

This is a great community event. Hope to see you there.

Bushfire Community Meeting 2024

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 5 February 2024

Bushfire Community Meeting

Bushfires happen every year!

Spend 1 hour with your local CFA and learn how you can keep you, your family and your friends safe from fire this season.

This Fire Safety Essentials Session covers:

Local fire risk
What to expect from fire
Preparing for fire
Fire Danger Ratings
How to stay informed
Seasonal update

This is a free community service conducted at Upwey Fire Station, 7:00pm Thursday 8th February 2024.

Hope to see you there.

More information:

T: 03 8739-1300

E: D13commed@cfa.vic.gov.au

Or visit our FACEBOOK page facebook.com/UpweyCFA

Tags Bushfire Community Meeting

Brigade Activities

Community Raffle 2024

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 2 February 2024

Dandenong Ranges Community Raffle

Upwey Fire Brigade is conducting a fundraiser with the Dandenong Ranges Community Raffle.

We are looking to raise funds that will go toward replacing some specialist equipment.

One of these is our lighting vehicle equiped with battery powered portable LED lights we use at incidents in our response areas and when called to assist other brigades. The batteries have a use-by-date and are now due to be replaced.

You can help us raise the funds for the new batteries by purchasing a ticket in the Dandenong Ranges Community Raffle. 100% of every ticket sale goes to the brigade and the prizes on offer are fantastic with $25,000 in prizes up for grabs.

The Raffle will be drawn at 11am on 2 May 2024.

To purchase your tickets simply scan the QR code or click on this link: www.raffletix.com.au. You can also share the QR code with your friends.

Tickets are priced at:

1 ticket for $5
5 tickets for $20
10 tickets for $40
15 tickets for $60
20 tickets for $80
30 tickets for $100

Every dollar goes to Upwey Fire Brigade. We thank you in advance for supporting Upwey CFA..

Visit our FACEBOOK page for more details facebook.com/UpweyCFA

Tags Community Raffle 2024

Events

Santa Run 2023

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 17 December 2023

Santa Run 2023

Santa is coming to Upwey.

The blue area of the map will be covered Wednesday 20th December with the Red being covered Thursday 21st December.

He will depart the fire station around 5.30pm.

There are some streets we will NOT be travelling down. If you live in the following streets we recommend you walk to the closest corner. You will hear him coming!

Weldon Grove
Sayers Road
Elliot Road
Toorourong Road
Woodleigh Avenue
Riley Road
Waverley Street
Creekbank Street
Rita Street
Henderson Street
Torry Hill Road
Brunning Street
Royal Street
George Street
Hubert Street
Nevada Ave
Brooklyn Lane
Langford Crt
Delbata Road
Day Street
Gerratts Ave
The Highway
Belbrook Road
Carween Ave

Apart from touring the community, Santa will also be making a stop at the below locations at 7.15pm on both nights so no child will miss out.

Wednesday 20th – Wrights Ave Playground & Upwey fire station
Thursday 21st – Tasman Ave Playground & Upwey fire station

Visit our FACEBOOK page for more details facebook.com/UpweyCFA

Tags Santa run

Announcement

Fire Danger Period 2023 – 2024

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 25 November 2023

Fire Danger Period 2023 - 2024

The Fire Danger Period
starts
Monday 18th December 2023
for the following municipalities

Knox City Council
Manningham Council
Maroondah City Council
Yarra Ranges Council

Restrictions on lighting fires will apply.

Prepare your property for grass and bushfires

More information visit CFA.VIC.GOV.AU

Tags fire danger period

Events

Upwey CFA Open Day 2023

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 16 October 2023

Upwey Fire Brigade Station 2021

Open Day Saturday 28th October 2023

Upwey CFA invites you to join us Saturday 28th October 2023 when we open our doors to the community.

Meet your local fire fighters. Get great tips and information about the risks of bush fires in our area, what to do in an emergency and how to prepare your property.

Lots of fun for kids of all ages including getting your photo taken in a real fire truck

Doors open from 12:00pm to 4:30pm.

Vale Kerry OBrien

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 9 October 2023

Vale Kerry O'Brien

We are saddened to mention the passing of CFA and Brigade Life Member, Kerry O’Brien.

Kerry joined Upwey Fire Brigade in August of 1958, serving as a Brigade Officer from 1975 to 1978. He is the recipient of the National Medal, (and several additional clasps recognising his ongoing contribution) and the National Emergency Medal for his participation in the 2009 Black Saturday Fires. The VFBV Gold Star Award.

Kerry was awarded Life Membership of the Upwey Fire Brigade in 1985 and made a CFA Life Member in 2013. Between 1979 and 1995, Kerry was awarded the Brigades Best Fireman Award 12 times, with an additional two years as runner up. He was also awarded Commendation Awards 8 times being for recognition of the many jobs he has undertaken over this time.

Kerry also had a helping hand in maintaining the Brigades’ social activities ranging from Pokies trips to NSW, Car Shows, Bingo nights to name a few. He has played a major role in the development and maintenance for all our vehicles over these years through involvement in our Vehicle Replacement committees, Driver development programs and member welfare programs.

Kerry, equally known for his fastidious detail in maintaining our Firefighting appliances as his sense of humour and comedic antics.

Vale Kerry O’Brien, you were instrumental in modeling the brigade to be where it is today, you will not be forgotten.

The Upwey township flag was flown at half mast in respect to the 65 years of service provided to the community of Upwey, surrounding townships, numerous Victorian and interstate campaign fires.

For funeral details, visit www.facebook.com/UpweyCFA

Tags member

Home Fire Safety

Daylight Saving 2023 Starts

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 30 September 2023

Daylight Saving Starts 1st October 2023

Daylight Saving Starts 2am Sunday 1st October 2023.

Turn your clocks FORWARD 1 hour.

Upwey CFA encourages you to check all your smoke alarms are in working order when daylight saving STARTS this Sunday. You should also change the battery in all your battery operated smoke alarms.

Three easy steps;

Test all your smoke alarms monthly – press the test button
Dust all your smoke alarms annually
Check &/or change the battery

Learn the Where, Why and What About Smoke Alarms

Tags Day light saving, Smoke Alarms

Events

2nd Chance Booksale 2023

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 7 August 2023

2nd Chance Booksale

Upwey CFA 2nd Chance Booksale returns for 2023.

Join us Sunday 27th August 2023 at the Upwey Fire Brigade 2nd Chance Booksale.

We have a big range of used books, CDs, DVDs and vinyl records are available for sale with lots of of items available from a low $1-00 each.

Doors open from 9:00am to 2:00pm.

Grab yourself a bargain, meet the wonderful volunteers from your local fire brigade, grab a bite or drink at the sausage sizzle and get information about how to be fire safe.

See our events page or visit us on Facebook for more details.

Tags Book Sale

Fire Awareness & Safety

Bushfire Resilience Webinars 2023

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 29 July 2023

2023 Bushfire Resilience Webinars

The 2023 bushfire resilience webinars commence Wednesday 9 August 2023.

Register now to get your link to the first LIVE webinar and also links to the webinar recordings. https://br.org.au/webinar.

An El Niño summer is coming

Recent rainfall has supercharged fuel loads. Dry conditions will increase fire risks next summer, especially grass fires. Watch the webinars with family and friends and discuss the information and your plans.

BRI’s webinars are presented by eminent subject experts. Learn how grass fires and bushfires behave and what your family can do to reduce your risks.

Viewers can ask questions before or during the webinar, and when you register we’ll also send you a link to videos. To learn more about our presenters head to br.org.au/presenters

Note that these events are run by Bushfire Resilience Inc. Bushfire Prepare is not responsible for this event. Bushfire Prepare is promoting this event in the interests of community safety.

Tags Bushfire Resilience

Brigade Activities

Jumble Sale 2023 Success

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 19 May 2023

Jumble Sale 2023

From the entire team at Upwey CFA, we want to pass on a very big THANK YOU to everyone who supported the 52nd Annual Jumble Sale.

Despite the prediction of poor weather for the day, the rain and strong winds didn’t arrive but the crowds certainly did and made it a huge success.

It was a hectic first hour for the crew with strong of sales that continued through the entire day. The BBQ was well supported with strong demand for sausages and hamburgers. The hot donuts were a very popular choice.

Planning for the 53rd Jumble Sale 2024 has already begun and we look forward to seeing you then.

Tags Jumble Sale

Announcement

Fire Danger Period 2023 Update

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 11 April 2023

Fire Danger Period 2023 Update

The Fire Danger Period will be lifted Tuesday 11 April 2023 for the following municipalities.

Knox City Council
Manningham Council
Maroondah City Council
Yarra Ranges Council

If you burn off after the conclusion of the Fire Danger Period, please be mindful that it is easy to lose control of your small burn-off. You can refer to the CFA brochure ‘Are you burning off safely?’ to ensure your burn remains safe and legal.

Take care and make sure you have water available at all times and never leave your burn-off unattended.

Before lighting a burn-off, we urge residents to always notify their neighbours and register their burn either online via firepermits.vic.gov.au or by calling the Burn-Off Notification Line on 1800 668 511.

Always check and adhere to your council’s local laws and regulations before burning off.

More information visit cfa.vic.gov.au/firedangerperiod

Tags fire danger period

Home Fire Safety

Daylight Saving 2023 Ends

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 29 March 2023

time change to daylight saving time on white background

Daylight Saving Ending 2023

Daylight Saving ends 3am Sunday 2nd April 2023.

Turn your clocks BACK 1 hour.

Upwey CFA encourages you to check your smoke alarms are in working order when daylight saving ends this Sunday. If you have a battery operated alarm, change the battery also.

Three easy steps;

Test all your smoke alarms monthly – press the test button
Dust all your smoke alarm annually
Check &/or change the battery

Tags Day light saving, Smoke Alarms

Announcement

Total Fire Ban 18/03/2023

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 18 March 2023

TOTAL FIRE BAN

An EXTREME Fire Danger Rating and a TOTAL FIRE BAN
has been issued for Central District for
Saturday 18 March 2023
which includes Upwey area.

Watch the short video below for information about extreme ratings.

For more information about fire danger ratings and total fire bans visit cfa.vic.gov.au/

Tags fire danger period, total fire ban

Events

Jumble Sale 2023

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 4 March 2023

Jumble Sale Returns For 2023

Everyone at Upwey CFA is excited to announce the much loved Jumble Sale is back and will be held Saturday May 6th 2023.

A timeless tradition of the Upwey township. This once-a-year event offers an opportunity to the community to upcycle unwanted goods and score a bargain at the same time.

Keep an eye out for our flyers arriving in your letter box.

For more information, visit our facebook page

Tags Jumble Sale

Announcement

Fire Danger Rating 17/02/2023

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 17 February 2023

Extreme Fire Danger Rating Issued

An EXTREME Fire Danger Rating has been issued for Central District for Friday 17 February 2023 which includes Upwey.

Watch the short video below for information about what an extreme rating means and what actions you should take.

For more information visit cfa.vic.gov.au/

Tags fire danger period

Announcement

Fire Danger Period 2023

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 27 January 2023

Fire Danger Period 2023

The Fire Danger Period starts Monday 30th January 2023 for the following municipalities.

Knox City Council
Manningham Council
Maroondah City Council
Yarra Ranges Council

More information visit cfa.vic.gov.au/firedangerperiod

Tags fire danger period

Time To Prepare Your Property

Prepare Your Property, Protect Your Property.

Smoke Alarms In Bedroom

Is there a working smoke alarm in your bedroom?

2nd Chance Booksale

2nd Chance Booksale 2024

3MDR Vinyl Fair 2024

Hose Laying Drill

Training Drill

Burning Off Restrictions 2024

Burning Off Restictions Now In Place

Urgent LG Battery Recall

Do you own any of these?

Smoke Alarms for Hearing Impaired

Specialised Smoke Alarms.

Stair Climb 2024

Upwey Fire Fighters Stair Climb 2024

Clean Your Chimney Annually

Avoid A Chimney Fire In Your Home.

Upwey CFA 53rd Annual Jumble Sale

Everyone at Upwey CFA is excited to announce the 53rd Annual Jumble Sale will be held Saturday May 4th 2024.

Fire Danger Period Update 2024

Upwey-Belgrave RSL Family Fun Day 2024

Burrinja Live On The Lawn 2024

Bushfire Community Meeting

Dandenong Ranges Community Raffle

Santa Run 2023

Santa is coming to Upwey.

Fire Danger Period 2023 - 2024

The Fire Danger Period startsMonday 18th December 2023for the following municipalities

Open Day Saturday 28th October 2023

Upwey CFA invites you to join us Saturday 28th October 2023 when we open our doors to the community.

Vale Kerry O'Brien

Daylight Saving Starts 1st October 2023

2nd Chance Booksale

Upwey CFA 2nd Chance Booksale returns for 2023.

2023 Bushfire Resilience Webinars

The 2023 bushfire resilience webinars commence Wednesday 9 August 2023.

An El Niño summer is coming

Jumble Sale 2023

Fire Danger Period 2023 Update

The Fire Danger Period will be lifted Tuesday 11 April 2023 for the following municipalities.

Daylight Saving Ending 2023

TOTAL FIRE BAN

Jumble Sale Returns For 2023

Extreme Fire Danger Rating Issued

Fire Danger Period 2023

The Fire Danger Period starts Monday 30th January 2023 for the following municipalities.

The Fire Danger Period
starts
Monday 18th December 2023
for the following municipalities