ON Sunday, from 11am to 2pm, the Koroit CFA will hold an open day at its new station in Mill Street.
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Brigade secretary Darren Rentsch is hoping the public take the chance to come and have a look.
“We are very happy with how the station has come up,” Mr Rentsch said.
“It is not just a fire station for the CFA, it is a $1.5 million public asset.
“We are hoping we might get some new volunteers out of the day, we think the facilities are top class and that may help get prospective recruits over the line.”
How long have you been a member of the CFA?
I’ve been a CFA member for 34 years, the last two of those as secretary here at Koroit. I also work full-time with the CFA. I am the training college manager at the Western District Training Ground at Penshurst. That’s one of the great things about being a CFA volunteer, there are career paths in place.
How do the volunteers and paid firefighters get on down this way?
There is never an issue, one thing we are very lucky to have as volunteers here at Koroit is we get to work closely with the operational firefighters in Warrnambool, we have a great working relationship with them.
Why would you recommend someone to join the CFA?
There is a lot more to being in the CFA than putting the wet stuff on the red stuff. It can open a lot of doors in areas like leadership and community education. It is very rewarding knowing you are helping the community and the other great thing is you get to meet so many lovely people. If you put in the hard work, it is something you get a lot back from.
Is there anything you don’t like about being in the CFA?
Honestly, no there isn’t. It’s something I am passionate about.
What are some of the things people will find if they come and have a look at the new station on Sunday?
They will find that we have a lot more room than we had at the old station. We can now comfortably fit three vehicles in the engine room and we now have a separate room for all our protective clothing and gear. There is good office space, a meeting room and lots of room to carry out training on site. We will have a free barbecue and kids activity on Sunday for those who come along.