A steady stream of visitors made their way to the Portland Fire Brigade station for the unit’s Open Day on Sunday.

Running from 10 am to 1 pm, visitors were able to see the firefighting equipment and talk to the volunteers as well as watch fire science demonstrations depicting how fires behave on model sets.

For the kids, there was a chance to play the role of a firefighter using the hoses on wooden targets, or otherwise meet Captain Koala.

Brigade Captain Ian Hamley said the event was well received by the community.

“It’s been a good community response,” he said.

“The kids have especially been enjoying it, especially with Captain Koala and the fire hoses.”

Capt Hamley’s reflection on the event was shared by brigade Chairperson Aaron Palmer.

“The day's just been absolutely perfect,” he said.

“Weather wise, plenty of families (and) children going through.”

To feed the abundant crowd, the Portland Fire Brigade enlisted the help of the Portland Lions who put on a free sausage sizzle.

However, despite the fun and games, the Open Day had a serious side with the brigade looking for new recruits ahead of the 2024/25 fire season.

According to Mr Palmer the day saw several people make enquiries about joining and there was information for those wanting to join available.

He stressed that though the fire brigade is known primarily for putting out fires, the operational capability of the brigade is much larger.

“It’s not just putting out fires,” he said.

“We have a range of jobs. If the person joining doesn't want to go on a fire truck or doesn't want to fight fires, there's other support roles that they can be involved with in the brigade.”

Alongside responding to fires, the Portland Fire Brigade responds to, among other things, vehicle crashes, storm damage response, and high angle rescues.

For those wishing to join, Mr Palmer said applicants can apply online.

“There is a police check, and there’s a working with children's check that needs to be done,” he said.

“If all goes smoothly, you can join up quite promptly and then go through the steps to become a member of Portland Fire Brigade.”

Alternatively, Mr Palmer said potential recruits can visit the station.

“Come and talk to us,” he said.

“Tuesday nights is when we train. So, 7.15pm we train, so even if you want to just come down and have a look and see whether you like it, we can take you through the station, the trucks, the gear, meet our guys and go from there.”

Though no where near the age for joining, Portland local Florence England, 3, was nonetheless keen to get involved in the Open Day activities, using a fire hose to knock down wooden figurines.

She had a quick response when asked what her favourite part of the day was.

“The fire trucks,” she said.