Nerriga Firestorm

[@MichelleLincoln]

Thanks for telling this story Martin

[@themartincgreenwood]

Thank you. M

[@ronvolmershausen9225]

This footage has compelled me to leave, after 10 years of being on KZbin, a comment. The documentary conveys the personal journeys for both the producer and the participants...and it's been done in a most respectful and inciteful way. Thank you for uploading and sharing freely a very important addition to the historical record.

[@themartincgreenwood]

Thank you. That’s a very lovely comment. Martin

[@suzymatwetwe]

Well said Ron 👏

[@amygone2pot]

No tribute, no words could ever repay the work these RFS volunteers do for their communities. They literally put their lives on the line.

[@HGCUPCAKES]

Well done. This was brilliantly out together. The contents was raw, honest and powerful. Made me feel like I was there with them. Well done.

[@matthewtalbott6146]

great video thanks for sharing i was braidwood staging manager and came out the next morning with the COW and freezers for the pub

[@pauln8503]

Great documentary about exceptional people in extraordinary times.

[@themartincgreenwood]

Thanks mate

[@suzymatwetwe]

Goosebumps and tears 😥. My daughter, as I write this, is undergoing the level 1 training. Last weekend there was a big training/competition in Tasmania and she said that the simulated scenario when the fire goes over the truck (I can't remember the term for it) brought the severity of firefighting into focus for her. She said that as she was hunkered down behind the front seat, it was the first time she felt a little fear. She went on to say that one of the questions asked was whether she would call her family or the overhead firefighting plane/chopper. She apologized to me and said that she would call the overhead firefighters and I told her that she had made the right decision. I wouldn't want to hear what was going on in the heat of the moment. This video brought it all home to me - the bravery of firefighters is beyond words.

[@AustinsMadness]

The burnover training (which I am pretty sure is what you are talking about) Does really bring into your mind that you are going to do something dangerous, I remember my first drill and I only realised then just what I was getting myself into. Thankfully I have never had to use that training and neither has anyone else that I know

[@ClickyMister]

as a firefighter myself this is hands down the best and least sensationalist reportage of what it was like during this time. Well done.

[@themartincgreenwood]

Thanks mate, appreciate it.

[@Kerplakistandan]

I'm hooked on these Australian wildfire videos.

[@maggieshanahan6140]

Thanks so much for sharing this story. I hope all of you are ok, it’s clear how much you all support and care for each other, and how that support and care is what makes the difference.

[@stevewhitehouse4051]

Wow great video, thanks. As a QFES Rural volunteer I spent a great deal of time down in NSW and ACT during this time with my colleagues.

[@themartincgreenwood]

Thanks mate.

[@AlexRea-tj4od]

Thank you to the crews that came to help

[@jonathanclarke5878]

Great work Martin and to all who were there

[@themartincgreenwood]

Thanks mate

[@geraldinegaynor1360]

I am reading a book called Currowan. by Bronwyn Adcock and have just read the chapter about the Nerriga fire. It was a great book and this chapter was very dramatic. I’m glad you showed us the Pub.

[@themartincgreenwood]

Thanks Geraldine. Agree it’s a great book. Glad I was able to show some of the reality for the people on the ground.

[@kirstyfreeman2230]

Thank you for sharing. I take my hat off to all of the RFS, for protecting people and infrastructure at a risk to your own safety - Thank you. I live in the bush and know all too well how terrifying and destructive these fires can be. Take care out there.

[@davemcp]

A really well put together story. Thank you for sharing this.

[@geoffreycrisp5268]

Great video Martin and what impressive, inspirational people

[@themartincgreenwood]

Thanks Geoff

[@chrismontgomery3155]

That is one day I will never forget, In my time of being a rural fire firefighter, I have never seen or experienced anything like what happened on that day

[@davebloggs]

Fire is very unpredictable , I think you from Canada for all the work you guys have done.

[@brushrescue1701]

Excellent well done ✅

[@Aquarium-Downunder]

I know the road well, I drive from Nowra to the ACT 3 times a week, I stop at the Nerriga Pub for a feed and cold drink. Some times I stop outside lae at night for a sleep under the Pubs lights.

[@dotcassilles1488]

The fire came within 200 metres of the western edge of Braidwood....There were many fires around us for weeks.

[@tomsummer5336]

Fantastic video and you are all very brave ❤

[@Bonez0r]

This makes me want to be a firefighter.

[@suzymatwetwe]

Do it! My daughter has just joined and she said that it's one of the most rewarding experiences of her life. We desperately need passionate people in the service.

[@seancrawford406]

As an Australian my heart goes out to you volunteers we'd all be fuked without you

[@jodiecascio2253]

If it wasn't for you guys and the mosquito squads and the helicopter my place would have burnt in Tomboye on 4/1/22. Very scary times. Hope that you never have to deal with that again. Very interesting story Martin

[@WowCoolHorse]

idk if anybody will ever see this, but there's something I'm very curious about that I've never seen answered, often in videos from wildfires I see these very bright flames (particularly when seen through clouds of smoke), that seem to be an almost cool color tone, like towards blue, is that just something about the auto-color balancing that GoPro cameras do or is that an effect that is actually seen in the real world?

[@themartincgreenwood]

Hey, it’s often the camera/ that fire is a hard type light to capture. I’ve not seen a lot of pure blue light in firefighting as much as there’s shots in this but it does happen.

[@williamstearns7490]

As a former USFS firefighter, I have to ask, if anyone cares to share, why do Australians seemingly rely on “pump and roll” with brush trucks as the primary wildland firefighting method? For the kind of dense, greasy, almost explosive fuels and high fast moving flame fronts, it seems like it’s a hell of an ask for engine crews. Though ballsy and dedicated to the fight they obviously are, the threat of entrapment, if not burnover, seems to be there pretty often. But maybe it’s just the videos I’ve been watching…

[@duaneturner4552]

You are 100% correct that the fires are certainly explosive and we mostly do direct attack our bushfires with bushfirefighting appliances. We are sometimes able to use some aviation support but that is limited. We don’t have a lot of choice because the areas are vast with not many resources to share across a very large area. It is worth noting though that we prefer to ‘rely’ on the use of firebreaks and off-season backburning and direct attack is certainly not preferred. It is our emergency response for people and property protection.

[@williamstearns7490]

@@duaneturner4552 thank you for the reply! Yeah, I bet appliance resources are pretty thin considering the area. We have the same issue; rarely enough engines to chase the spot fires, wet lines along roads, and protect structures. And almost never enough aircraft to provide drops, when they are available at all for your fire. Though here we mostly rely on hand crews and dozers to remove the fuels on the flanks and front to contain, direct, or at least slow a wildland fire. Do you have many dozer or hand crews, because I’ve only seen engine and air attack so far during my limited exploration of firefighting in Australia. Though considering the heat, evil fuels, and hateful winds you have, the thought of having bunker gear and an SCBA handy (and air conditioning) on an engine between me and the heat, smoke, and fire sounds much nicer than just my Nomex, Pulaski, and fire shelter! 😂 And now that I think of it, I’m curious about water access for those engines. Do most places out there have municipal water to connect and refill, or is do you folks have to have a constant shuttle of tankers bringing it in? Thank you again for taking the time. But also feel free to ignore me because I don’t want to monopolize your day with my dumb questions. Cheers!

[@suzymatwetwe]

I don't know what's happening on the mainland of Australia, but apparently Tasmania is getting a number of additional aircraft starting this 2023/24 fire season 🤞. Perhaps the government of the day is finally waking up to how the climate has changed and the severity of fires now because of the dryness?

[@bruhwat4416]

⁠@@williamstearns7490so with you mentioning entrapment and burnover our truck or as well call them tankers, have special water sprayers over the truck as well as roll down heat shields on the windows if you want to know more look up overrun/burn over drills Australia. I know most stars operate either a forestry or national park service that also performs firefighting tasks. These agencies will often operate hand crews. Some fire fighting agencies also operate raft and rart teams that specialise in remote area firefighting which often requires them to be whisked in by helicopter. Our towns use underground hydrants that you need a standpipe to access. In more rural areas you’ll hopefully have access to dams or pools or water tanks if not you just rely on what water you have or hope a bulk water tanker is available. We are starting to get more aviation ability with more water bombing aircraft being bought or leased in to the country. But yeah we mainly rely on our tankers for most bushfires. We also operate ultra light tankers also called strikers that carry what is basically just slightly more than a bathtubs worth of water to attack spotfires. When using the tanker in a pump and roll attack you’ll usually have crew on the firefighting deck in the back of the trucks and will drive up on the inside of the fire in the black as to minimise the risk.

[@bruhwat4416]

Also from what I’ve seen of wildfire fighting in America even when you use brush trucks you tend to keep more distance from the fire compared to Australia where we get a lot closer

[@marcjenkins1520]

Amazing people.

[@zacallan6594]

Did the cows die?

[@suzymatwetwe]

Zac, unfortunately there are always stock losses in big fires like this one 😥. It's awful to see the aftermath and a lot of stock have to be euthanized once the damage is assessed after the fire has gone through.

[@nathanpuckeridge9110]

Hero's

[@suzymatwetwe]

Absolutely 👏.

[@jammyscouser2583]

The sky went orange all over nz

[@tinfoilhomer909]

We remember

[@aaronpaulking3675]

Meanwhile I’m being fined for clearing scrub close to my house near an ultra flammable tea tree valley!? I’m not that far from Neriga ..

[@Bunkerdwarfputin]

I'd publicly shame the officials who fined you for your fire prevention, and sue those same officials if your home burns down in the future because of the scrub not being cleared.

[@tony.bickert]

Ok ok it was black. I don’t mean to be disrespectful. What it tells me is these folks were traumatized and in retelling it they are reliving it again - PTSD. :-(