08/02/2026
🔥 Strike Team Deployment 🔥
CALL-OUT 4/02/2026 - 8/02/2026
LOCATION: Deep Creek South Australia
On Wednesday the 4/2/2026 one of our own members headed over to South Australia to form up Strike Team 1822 to go and assist CFS crews at a complex fire burning in the Mount Lofty Rangers in the Deep Creek National Park near Cape Jarvis on the peninsula.
Lieutenant Troy Peirce was accompanied by Lieutenant Jack Ward from the Red Cliffs Fire Brigade and Lieutenant Grant Rayson from the Tongala Fire Brigade. All 3 members put their hands up to go on the 5 day deployment 1 day travel, 3 days working on the fire ground and then 1 day travel home. Jack, Troy & Grant crewed the Ultra Heavy Tanker from Ouyen for the 5 days working alongside SA Parks, SA MFS, SA CFS, NSWRFS Strike Team’s, QLD Fire & Rescue & specialists fire fighters from Western Australia.
The boys did a variety of tasks. Given the difficulty of the terrain the crews conducted a lot of controlled burns to stop the fire from running out into private land. Some of the other jobs the boys did was, filling up both CFA and CFS tankers to allow them to keep operating without turning round to fill up, blacking out, asset protection on a cottage and the Deep Creek NP depot/office.
The boys moved 100,000 litres of water over the 3 days they were on the fire ground. Aircraft heavily supported the crews putting in retardant lines and fire bombing areas of which crews could simply not get too given the difficulty terrain.
Strike Team 1822 was made up of a mixed district 18 & 20 Strike Team consisting of Sunraysia’s Group FCV as the STL vehicle, Ouyen Ultra Heavy Tanker, Watchem Ultra Heavy Tanker, Bamawm Extension Tanker 1, Romsey Tanker 1, Inglewood Tanker, D20 FOV & the Maryborough bus.
A second strike team was also deployed from district 16 and 15 and those appliances consisted of Eureka Group FCV, Daylesford Tanker 1, Bacchus Marsh Tanker 1, Creswick Tanker, Buninyong MT Helen Tanker 1 & Miners Rest Tanker 1. These appliances formed up as Strike Team 1501.
All 3 members had a great time away supporting our sister agency the CFS and both agreed it was a pleasure to work along side crews from both strike teams and interstate crews also!
