The Salvation Army has responded to several bushfires that have claimed homes in New South Wales (NSW) and Tasmania, with emergency services crews also stepping up in Victoria and Western Australia (WA).

The Australian bushfire season has begun in earnest with blazes in NSW over the weekend and Tasmania last week, damaging and destroying up to 20 homes in each state.

NSW

Major Bindy Lupis from The Salvation Army Emergency Services (SAES) said teams were asked to assist at five evacuation centres in NSW, including feeding 200 firefighters at the Red Head blaze near Newcastle.

“That team was taken away from a Christmas event — the Newcastle Toy Run — which was a shame, but the urgent need at the time was to feed the firefighters,” said Bindy, Senior Program Manager, Response and Wellbeing, SAES.

SAES personnel were also on hand at four other evacuation centres, from Bulahdelah down to the Central Coast, which were situated within local clubs.

“The clubs do all the cooking, which is really helpful,” said Bindy. “That means we can have personnel in each of the centres to support and chat with people who are impacted.”

At Gosford RSL Club on the NSW Central Coast, SAES volunteers from Gosford and Northlakes crew assisted, and were appreciative of donations of food and pastries from the local Woolworths and Bakers Delight.

With efforts moving into the recovery phase, SAES crew in NSW is taking over-the-phone referrals for disaster payments from local government and referring agencies.

Tasmania

In Tasmania, where a blaze at Dolphin Sands in the state’s east destroyed homes, Tasmania’s East Coast Salvos fed 50 community members and first responders with food supplied by the local council at the evacuation centre in the town hall. Now, with emergency efforts moving into recovery, The Salvation Army is also assisting.

Speaking from the recovery centre, Corps Officer Major Stephen Miller said there has been a lot of devastation, but the community is supporting each other beautifully.

“We are such a tight-knit community, it’s a real strength of our town. The community spirit here is something I’ve never experienced before,” he said.

The Salvation Army was on hand at Merriwa Evacuation Centre in the Hunter Valley due to nearby bushfires in early December.

Victoria and WA

Crews in Victoria were on standby near Wangaratta last week and over the weekend.

In WA, The Salvation Army has already assisted multiple families there whose homes were destroyed. And at the beginning of the month, crews in WA responded to a bushfire near Geraldton, which also destroyed homes.

Bindy said it’s already a busy time of year for The Salvation Army, and having bushfires so early in the season adds extra load to personnel and volunteers.

“A lot of our volunteers are helping their corps with Christmas events. Many are also Salvation Army employees, and they are busy, as it’s the busiest time of the year.

“We are working to prioritise our team’s wellbeing. We need to make sure they are okay and not burnt out before we even get to January.”

She said it’s a good reminder for SAES volunteers to check and update their availability to volunteer and ensure their training is up to date.

“…If you can, please register to volunteer now, before the season is fully underway.”

For more information on volunteering with the SAES, click here.

This article has been adapted from a published piece on Salvos Online.