TEA Tree Gully CFS is praising its local community after a fire-free season in its home neighbourhood

A FIRE brigade in Adelaide’s north east hasn’t responded to a single local fire call-out this bushfire season, instead helping residents living further afield.

TEA Tree Gully CFS captain Daryl Klingberg has praised the efforts of locals in staying safe this summer as the state edges closer to the end of the bushfire season on April 30.

Of 173 callouts so far this financial year, the brigade has not been required to fight a single local bushfire.

Tea Tree Gully’s biggest jobs this past summer were the Eden Valley bushfire, which burnt more than 24,000ha of pasture and scrub in January, and the Bangor fire in the southern Flinders Ranges, which burnt more than 19,000ha, also in January.

“We were very quiet locally this year,” Mr Klingberg said

TELL US BELOW: What would you like to say to the many volunteers who help out so tirelessly in your region each year?

“We were mostly involved with helping out during the huge fire in Eden Valley caused by the hot weather in January and also a few larger fires in the Flinders Ranges.

“The amount of bushfires that occur locally in Tea Tree Gully have been slowly decreasing over the years.

“Last season we only attended about two and this season none which was pleasing.”

He said residents living in the rural parts of Tea Tree Gully and near the foothills were finally getting the message about how important it was act early when it came to bushfire prevention.

“Before the fire season started, we received lots of calls from residents calling us to help them conduct burnoffs on their properties and clean up their yards,” he said.

“The huge media focus in terms of advertising on television and in the paper also helped spark residents into action for early prevention.

“Everyone in Tea Tree Gully has been so good with cleaning out their gutters and cutting lawns and not using electrical equipment that could spark bushfires this summer, so it has been really pleasing.”

But he has warned residents against being complacent and urged them to remain vigilant and prepare early for next fire season, which begins in November.

He also said residents should be on alert for fires outside of the bushfire season, such as the Cherryville blaze that burnt more than 650ha in May last year – outside of the official bushfire season.

“We want residents to take care of the things they can control, such as cleaning up their properties,” Mr Klingberg said.

“We know we can’t control the temperature or when lightning strikes to cause bushfires, but it’s so important for people to continue to be prepared.”

Mr Klingberg said more than half of the brigade’s 173 call-outs were for car accidents.

TELL US BELOW: What would you like to say to the many volunteers who help out so tirelessly in your region each year?