Fire Brigade
Buxton Fire Brigade was formed 1943 as a community response to the ever-present threat of bushfire, especially during the summer months. It was only two years later in 1945, that we came under the umbrella of the newly formed Country Fire Authority – CFA.
Brigade Structure
The brigade is made up of both operational and non-operational members with both Senior and Junior members. The purpose of the brigade is to provide a fire and emergency response capability to the Buxton area as well as the wider community. As with CFA, our objective is to protect life and property and to prevent and supress fires and other emergencies.
Our operational members are all trained as Bushfire Firefighters as well as Structural Firefighters – either defensive (external) or offensive (internal) firefighters. Our other members are either members who have retired from an operational role or bring a broad range of skills to the brigade. A number of our members hold specialist skills in Incident Management and can be deployed as part of state-wide or interstate incident responses.
The Officer-in-Charge is the elected Captain who has overall responsibility for management of the brigade. Operationally, the Captain is supported by four Lieutenants however all members are able to exercise the delegations of the Chief Officer in the absence of the Captain or one of the Lieutenants.
The brigade is managed by a Brigade Management Team (BMT). The role of the BMT is to manage the day-to-day activities of the brigade which includes ensuring we abide by the legislative requirements and directives of CFA and fulfil our community needs and responsibilities. In part, this is achieved by working with neighbouring brigades and the Alexandra Group of Fire Brigades along with CFA management, specifically the District staff located at CFA District 12 Headquarters at Seymour.
The BMT is guided by the overall direction of the brigade membership who provide direction to the BMT at brigade general meetings held quarterly.
The positions in the BMT comprise the operational officers along with a number of functional roles such as Secretary, Communications Officer, Brigade Safety Officer, Community Safety Co-ordinator and Brigade Support Manager. Each of the Lieutenants undertake one or more of the functional roles which covers aspects such as vehicle and equipment maintenance, protective clothing maintenance, training covering both skills acquisition and skills maintenance, communication equipment.
The brigade also has a Brigade Support Team that bridges a range of tasks in support of our firefighters, general members, and the community.
What do we do?
We are highly trained in bushfire and structural firefighting. We have two appliances equipped with AEDs and chainsaws. Along with Marysville, the brigade is equipped with breathing apparatus. We respond as needed to all types of emergencies 24/7, assist and complement the work of Forest Fire Management, Ambulance Victoria, SES, and Victoria Police. In addition, when required, we are supported by Fire Rescue Victoria at incidents such as high angle rescue events on the Cathedral Range.
Although unpaid, we are professional firefighters whose continued motivation is to protect our local communities by making ourselves available for deployments either locally, state-wide or interstate as required. Our members have deployed interstate on various occasions.
The roles within the Brigade are not only those of the operational firefighter but embrace all those tasks required to run a Brigade and include administration (including finance management), building maintenance, fundraising, community engagement and support. There's always something that needs doing, and along the way, there's the opportunity to help our community, make new friends and learn new skills.
In short, there's something for the whole family to be involved in.