RED DAY

A firefighters’ day through

the Black Summer Bushfires

By Arlo Nicholas, Harry O’Reilly and Riley Forchert

BLACK SUMMER

The Black Summer Bushfires affected all of Australia, from coast to coast. 24
people died directly from the fires, and another 450 people from lung related
issues from the smoke that engulfed most of the country. Over the course of
the bushfire season, over 2000 homes burned down leaving thousands of peo-
ple displaced. 3 billion animals died or were displaced due to mass habitat loss.
It is estimated that 143 million mammals, 2 billion lizards, 180 million birds
and 50 million frogs died. In some areas of New South Wales, 71% to 100% of
all koalas died according to the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF). The most
affected areas were NSW and Victoria coastal areas.

JOSHUA BOLIN
As a kid, many aspire to be a firefighter. But for some, that dream would
become a reality. One of these people is Joshua Bolin. In 2008, Josh ap-
plied to become a firefighter - and succeeded. He has now been a fire-
fighter for 12 years. Josh continues to work as a firefighter, because he
never knows what will happen next in his job.
FIGHTING THE FIRE
During the fires, Josh was sent to the training centre in Western Syd-
ney. He was assigned a location down the south coast near Nowra and
Batemans Bay, where fires were sweeping through small communities.
When Josh and his squad arrived around midday, the main front of the
fire was about to hit the towns. They moved quickly to evacuate resi-
dents to evacuation points near water sources, such as the beach. Josh’s
crew would set up a commanding point inside of a house where firefight-
ers could be allocated places along the fire line. The wind picked up and
started blowing the fire in different directions, which is why even though
the main front of the fire might be in one place, firefighters would be sta-
tioned in other areas in case of shifting winds. Shifts for the firefighters
would be long - sometimes lasting 20 hours with very short breaks.
WEATHER SYSTEMS
Bushfires can create their own weather system - which create lightning
that can then make another fire somewhere else. This means that fire-
fighters can unexpectedly be caught inbetween the two fires without
warning.

EQUIPMENT
Josh would wear light gear fighting the bushfire because the fire was so
intense that wearing heavy gear would cause quicker dehydration. This is
unlike what he would wear in a house fire situation . During a housefire,
he would wear heavy jacket and pants and a gas mask to support breath-
ing. During a bushfire, Josh would wear a mask similar to what is seen
worn by people because of COVID-19. However, at times the smoke
would become so bad that he would have to wear a oxygen mask and
tank on his back.
This story is based on true events. In 2019-2020 a series of bushfires started.
This event took the lives of many wildlife creatures and burnt land, nauture/
habitats. We are three year six kids from Camdenville Public School who have
decided to make an ebook about firefighters. Our group interviewed Joshua
Bolin and some of his crew members on what his experiences in the bushfires
were like. He gave us some great information to help us make an ebook.