A LIFETIME of community service has culminated in Mount Gambier Country Fire Service operations captain Bob Davis being named a recipient of the Australian Fire Service Medal.
Mr Davis, 70, will be honoured today as part of the Australia Day Honours List after being a volunteer for 52 years.
“Growing up on a farm at OB Flat my father always told me fire was the biggest threat to those working the land – not floods or drought.
“I took his words to heart and joined the OB Flat Firefighting Unit as a volunteer in 1965, and never looked back,” he told The Border Watch.
Mr Davis will receive the medal for his “unequivocal commitment to the service” particularly in the field of radio communications.
According the Governor-General’s office Mr Davis has – in his additional role as Mount Gambier level 3 incident control centre manager – been instrumental in esuring the centre is continuously
maintained at a high standard of operational preparedness.
He has helped to establish a best-practice radio system ensuring a high level of inter-border operability, and has been at the forefront of the testing and appraisal of radio communications over
many years.
“Mr Davis has earned the respect of not only his peers, but also the members of local law and emergency service organisations for his ability to bring out the best in the various teams when fighting
fires and assisting with other emergencies across regional South Australia,” the office said.
Looking back over the years Mr Davis remembers four fires in particular – Kongorong in 1959, the three Mount Gambier fires in 1979, 1983’s Ash Wednesday and the Wandilo fire in 2000.
“I was still at school during the Kongorong fire, but it did make an impact.
“In 1979 we had three forest fires at the same time – Yahl, Glenburnie and Caroline.
“We couldn’t fight all three similtaniously and decided to let Caroline go while attending to Yahl and Glenburnie first.”
Mr Davis said on Ash Wednesday flames rushed from the Lucindale area to the edge of Tarpeena between 1.30pm and 3.30pm – a distance of around 70km in two hours.
“In another 30 minutes the fire would have reached the outskirts of Mount Gambier if the wind didn’t turn.”
He said the Wandilo fire also had the potential of reaching Mount Gambier, but fire bombers helped ground crews save the day.
“Strong winds increased the spot fire danger, but with the assistance of fire bombers we managed to prevent them from spreading.
“These aircraft were utilised by the mid to late 1980s and could fill up and drop their load in a very short period of time.
“It improved our firefighting capabilities drastically.”
Mr Davis said he was humbled by the award and grateful to have had the opportunity to serve the community.
“The CFS has 420 brigades and 13 000 volunteers in South Australia.
“I am still on call 24 hours a day, and happy to be a volunteer,” he said.
