Clematis Volunteer Fire Brigade

23/04/2026

Planned Burn Notification 23rd and 24th of April.

There is a Planned Burn being undertaken today and tomorrow in the Cardinia Reservoir Catchment.

Smoke will be visible.

16/04/2026

A massive thank you to Community Bank Dandenong Ranges (Upwey & District and Emerald & District) for supporting us through their 2026 Staff Grant Program 🙌

We’re especially grateful to Bruce McConnell for choosing Clematis Fire Brigade, it really means a lot to our members.

Support like this goes a long way for a volunteer brigade like ours, helping us keep training, maintain our gear and continue protecting the community we’re all part of 🚒

We really appreciate the support and recognition thank you again!

At Community Bank Upwey & District and Emerald & District, we’re excited to share something special… our 2026 Staff Grant Program!

Each of our staff members was given the opportunity to choose and surprise a local community group they’re passionate about supporting. Because our team works with the community every day, they see firsthand the incredible work being done and were absolutely thrilled to support a local group with a surprise $1,500 donation. 💛

We’re excited to share these moments with you over the coming weeks.

1️⃣ Our first presentation was made by our Emerald Branch Manager, Bruce McConnell, who chose to support Clematis Volunteer Fire Brigade.

Bruce chose Clematis CFA as " he appreciates the many hours that volunteers give to protect and save not only this local community, but also others in times of need and at risk to their own well-being."

📷 Bruce with Captain Glenn Brown and Secretary Mark Lane.

Stay tuned as we continue to celebrate the groups our team has selected to support!

11/04/2026

🚧 Wellington Road Currently Closed 🚧
Sunday 12th April

Due to an earlier accident Wellington Road is closed between the entrance to Cardinia Reservoir and the Berwick Road turnoff. Please seek an alternative route.

05/04/2026

🔥 Planned Burn Underway 🔥

A planned burn is currently underway in Belgrave South, and smoke may be visible in surrounding areas.

📍 Temple Road 1, Belgrave South (4.31 hectares)
💨 Smoke may be visible from nearby roads, including Wellington Road

This burn has been ignited by CFA crews to help reduce the impact of bushfire on nearby residential properties and improve community safety.

🚒 Firefighters and emergency service vehicles are actively working in the area while the burn is being completed.

You may notice increased smoke or emergency vehicle activity — this is expected as part of a controlled burn.

We acknowledge this is taking place over the Easter long weekend, however planned burns are dependent on suitable weather and conditions and must be carried out when safe opportunities arise.

For updates and more information:
🌐 www.vic.gov.au/plannedburns
📱 VicEmergency App
📞 1800 226 226

Belgrave South Fire Brigade - CFA 🚒

03/04/2026

🚒 Training Night at Clematis Fire Brigade 🚒

Wednesday night’s training focused on building capability with our new tanker and brushing up on skills relevant to the upcoming burn season.

Crews spent the evening working through drafting operations, ensuring everyone is confident setting up and supplying water from static sources using the new truck — we are extremely lucky that we have a number of places in our area that we can draft from!

We also ran through Fuel Moisture Content (FMC) testing using the Wiltronix. With two of our members recently completing a Complex Prescribed Burn course, it was a great opportunity to pass on that knowledge while it’s still fresh and bring the whole brigade up to speed.

A solid night of practical training and knowledge sharing 👏

Interested in getting involved? We’re always looking for new members — we train every Wednesday at 7:30pm, come down and say hello!

11/03/2026

🚒 Training Night at Clematis Fire Brigade 🚒

A few photos from tonight’s training where the crew were getting familiar with the brigade’s new tanker. Members had a chance to test out the rear deck and the front monitor, running through a few drills and getting comfortable with how everything operates.

It’s always great to get hands-on with the truck and make sure everyone knows the equipment inside and out before we need to use it at an incident.

👩‍🚒 Want to get involved?
Clematis Fire Brigade is always looking for new volunteers. You don’t need experience — full training is provided.

We train every Wednesday night at 7:30pm, so if you’ve been thinking about joining, come down and say hello.

🚒

06/03/2026

🚒 New Tanker Arrives at Clematis Fire Brigade 🚒

Clematis Fire Brigade is pleased to welcome a 2010 3.4C Crew Cab Tanker to our fleet, replacing our long-serving 1996 2.4D Single Cab Tanker.

The new tanker provides a much safer environment for our firefighters, with crew now able to travel inside the cabin rather than riding on the open-air ROPS on the back of the vehicle and being exposed to the elements. The vehicle also provides a larger water carrying capacity.

The tanker has recently undergone a refurbishment by the Mount Evelyn DMO’s, who have done a fantastic job preparing it for service — it genuinely looks as good as new.

We would also like to thank Mount Evelyn Fire Brigade, who previously operated the tanker and clearly took excellent care of it over the years.

The brigade will now undertake training and driver familiarisation on the vehicle before it is placed into operational service.

🚒 Interested in being part of the team? Clematis Fire Brigade is always looking for new volunteers. If you live locally and would like to support your community, get in touch to learn more about becoming a firefighter.

26/02/2026

🚒 Training Night – Putting Our New Ultralight to Work 💧🔥

This week our members were out on the water as part of hands-on training with our Ford Ranger Ultralight.

In this photo, the crew are draughting water — a vital skill that allows us to pump water from static sources such as dams, creeks and tanks when hydrants aren’t available.

Training like this ensures:
✅ Crew confidence with the new appliance
✅ Efficient pump set-up and water relay operations
✅ Safe and effective firefighting in areas without reticulated water

The Ultralight gives us greater flexibility and faster response capability — but it’s regular training that makes the real difference.

Well done to everyone who turned out 👏

Interested in being part of the action? We’re always looking for new volunteers to join the Clematis CFA. No experience needed — full training provided.

🚒

17/02/2026

🚨 SMOKE IN THE AREA – PLEASE READ 🚨

Local residents may notice smoke across the area. This smoke is blowing in from a fire up north and is not from a local incident.

🌫️ Smoke may cause poor air quality and reduced visibility at times.
🤧 If you have asthma or respiratory conditions, consider limiting time outdoors.
🚗 Please drive to the conditions if visibility is affected.
📞 Only call 000 if you can see flames or a distinct column of smoke.

General smoke haze drifting through the area does not require emergency calls.

For official updates, monitor the VicEmergency website or app.

🚒 Clematis Fire Brigade

06/02/2026

Black Saturday – 7 February 2009

Today we pause to remember the events of 7 February 2009, a day that will forever be known as Black Saturday.

On that day, firefighters and communities across Victoria faced hundreds of uncontrollable bushfires burning throughout the state. Police and paramedics worked through the night rescuing and treating the injured, while firefighters from CFA, MFB, DELWP, Parks Victoria and Melbourne Water would go on to spend weeks battling the fires that began on that tragic day.

While time has passed, for many the memories of 7 February 2009 remain vivid and enduring.

Our thoughts are with all the communities, emergency services personnel and families who lost so much on that terrible day.

———

National Emergency Medal Recognition

Many firefighters were recognised for their service during the 2008–09 fire season with the awarding of the National Emergency Medal (NEM).

The following current and former members of the Clematis Fire Brigade were presented with the National Emergency Medal in 2013:

• Brian Crook
• Jason Csincsi
• Henk Eyssens
• Scott Graham
• Greg Goullet
• Simon King
• Mark Lane
• Jarryd Miller
• Shane Miller
• Stephen Parkes
• Peter Richardson
• Corey Schmutter
• Mat Warby