During the January fires, the generosity of CFA volunteers was widespread, and when Yea members called for help with road incidents, the assistance that followed was overwhelming.
Road crash rescue volunteers from multiple brigades right across the state did not hesitate to head to Yea to offer their services and cover their rescue response alongside agency counterparts.
On January 7, a devastating bushfire broke out in Longwood, just north of Yea, and it became clear early on that the brigade would be committed to the fire response for some time.
To ensure they could continue responding to emergencies in their local town, the brigade reached out to their fellow rescue brigades to enlist their help covering their road rescue response. This meant members could remain on the fireground protecting the broader Victorian community.
Yea Fire Brigade Captain Emery McCarthy said it was amazing to see so many people eager to lend a hand.
"Local emergencies don't stop just because there are big fires in the landscape," Emery said.
"I put the call out for help and within an hour we had people available for three days and within a day we had a roster for the full week."
Werribee Fire Brigade was one of the brigades that put their hands up to help.
When the call came that Yea needed help, Werribee Fire Brigade Captain Micheal Wells said it was a no brainer to send some of their crew.
"Even though we are an incredibly busy brigade here in Werribee, if there is a chance to help, we will," Michael said.
"We were able to lighten the load a little bit for Yea, and it was also a good chance for networking and cross-brigade relationship building."
Members from Wandin, Monbulk, Nar Nar Goon, Loch, and Plenty also supported Yea with their rescue capability.
Emery said the support meant the brigade was able to continue their rescue coverage for the community whilst the large fire response was happening.
"Within 10 minutes of the crew arriving there was a call out to a vehicle roll over," Emery said.
"This just proved how important it was for us to have that help.
"We are so thankful to all the members who made themselves available even when their own brigades were incredibly busy.
"The rescue brigade community is a small one, with just over 20 brigades in the state having a rescue team, so you really felt that support, we are very grateful and I know the community is too."
