Yes, it's been a while since I last blogged. Just as well, you say!

It's now mid-spring, and it's warming up. What we're not getting, but should be, is our spring rains. So this is making it year twelve of sub-normal rain. Yes, drought is well and truly established.

I've just been reading a pre-fire season release from our forests people. Not good reading really, but we'll see. The not good reading? Just that once again it looks like we're heading into the fire season with all pointers indicating that it could be a bad one. Now, as all FF's involved with wildfire know, the indicators don't have to lead to the actuality. But they could. I can say that we're getting a lot of grassfires around the State, a lot more than I'd expect. They've all been jumped on and squashed - so are really being nice training sessions for those involved? Like all around here we've changed our training thrust to basic hands-on get wet and dirty wildfire work. Remember complacency? The thing that can get FF's killed?

In my Brigade we're running a recruit training course, for us and neighbouring Brigades. Some of those newbies might well see fire in their first season... I like being involved in recruit training, talking is one of my favourite things! This morning I delivered the first of the communications sessions, I was told I was delivering it when the training officer said Welcome, Tony is taking this session! The content wasn't a problem, but I'd not seen the overhead presentation which made for a couple of minor hiccups between me and the screen, but that's coverable! Why hadn't I seen the overheads? Because I was only asked to 'assist' with this session a few days ago - and I was lazy... All was good, I have no issue with admitting mistakes :)

So there's a quick catchup. Now I wonder if anyone will read this?