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Recruits
on alert during period of high danger
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Aircraftman
Jonathan Davis and Aircraftwoman Cheryl Phillips on the
perimeter of RAAF Base Fairbairn. Photo
by LACW Simone Liebelt.
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WHILE
their friends were converging on Melbourne and Sydney to attend
the Big Day Out concerts, 18 mostly teenage recruits based at RAAF
Base Wagga worked 12-hour shifts to help secure RAAF Base Fairbairn
from clear and present bushfire danger.
The recruits were called in to support an around-the-clock operation
to secure the base against real threats after a horrific week of
fire devastation in Canberra.
Aircraftman Jonathan Davis said the Australia Day weekend was a
blur.
“I didn’t even notice the holiday weekend, I didn’t
realise the time because of the long shifts – everyone at No.
28 Squadron was also working,” he said.
In small fire response crews, coordinated by 28SQN, the recruits
patrolled the base in fire utes, practising emergency drills every
hour around the clock for 10 days.
Bushfires had almost encircled the bush capital, filling the air
with a constant smoke haze and an eerie blood-red sun
Aircraftman Ben Sheehy, originally from Queensland, said he received
short notice to move and found himself at Fairbairn on a 12-hour
all-night shift looking out for fires.
“We were here for a good purpose, I wanted to help out –
it’s good to know we were here if needed,” he said.
The return to Wagga was delayed with a late scare, as temperatures
in the ACT soared again to 40 degrees.
Although nothing was damaged, the flight line was lashed with 100km/h
winds as ash and embers rained down on the base, prompting an urgent
dousing of the Military Working Dogs section.
On a rest day, the recruits drove out to some of Canberra’s
worst hit areas, including the suburb of Duffy.
“You don’t realise how bad it is until you’ve been
out there,” AC Davis said.
The base was on high alert for almost two weeks with 28SQN heavily
active in the urban fire fighting.
Commanding Officer 28SQN Squadron Leader Jim Kearney said he was
appreciative of the support provided by the recruits.
“With short notice, they settled in and performed well above
anybody’s expectations. The squadron is grateful to CO RAAF
WAGGA and CO RAAF School of Technical Training and all those that
enabled us to protect Fairbairn,” he said.
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