The Truganina Fire Brigade assists families in Wyndham during some of the toughest emergencies. Lieutenant Shane Bullen has been involved in the CFA for over 16 years. He chats to Fatima Halloum about volunteering in the municipality he’s called home for all of his life.
What’s your favourite thing about volunteering in Wyndham?
Being able to help the community in a desperate time of need, some might say when their world is burning around them.
Where is your favourite place to go in the municipality?
Probably the Park Hotel, I like to relax from time to time with friends and family.
When you think of your childhood in Wyndham, what are some of the places that come to mind?
Presidents Park Wooden Playground, Hoppers Crossing Skate Park & riding to the Wyndham BMX Track with friends when I was growing up.
What do you like about where you live in Hoppers Crossing?
I just think the friendliness of the people in the community. Mainly the neighbourhoods that I’ve lived in specifically, there hasn’t been any issues with neighbours, everyone’s really friendly and trying to get to know each other.
What would you change about where you live?
The roads, just the congestion and how fast Wyndham is growing, definitely the roads are not keeping up with it.
Why is it important to you to volunteer your time?
There was a grass fire a few years back in Rockbank and Mount Cottrell, being able to stop a grassfire before it destroys someone’s livelihood, their house, their sheds, their crops or whatever has hit home to them. We do it without them coming to say thank you, we don’t need that. But being able to do that for someone that can’t do it, it really keeps us going, being able to help at that time of need.
Describe the relationship between the members of the Truganina CFA?
We’re a very diverse brigade. Being a fire brigade and having a lot of members who are coming from different backgrounds, different work environments, and bringing that to the brigade and building relationships with those people for life. As a CFA member, you’re not just a firefighter. That’s one part of our brigade. There’s multiple different roles within the brigade, assisting with our junior brigade, fundraising, community events, delivering community education about fire safety in our community. It’s not just ‘putting the wet stuff on the hot stuff’.
