A heart-warming memento

By Casey Neill
UPPER Ferntree Gully CFA captain Peter Smith last week scored cash for his crew and a heart-warming personal memento.
Mr Smith and team members Michael Pulford and Mark Goodchild were trapped in their burning fire truck while fighting Upwey’s Nixon Road blaze on 23 February last year.
Mr Goodchild grabbed two fire blankets – his and Mr Pulford’s – as the trio fled the burning cabin.
“That’s all the time we had at that stage,” Mr Smith said.
Mr Pulford and Mr Goodchild have kept the blankets that shielded them from the flames.
“They never let them out of their sight once they got back to the station,” Mr Smith said.
Creswick Woollen Mills executive director Boaz Herszfeld presented Mr Smith with a fire blanket embroidered with his name last Thursday.
Mr Smith was blown away – and keen to show the gift off to his colleagues.
“They’re gonna spit chips,” he said.
Creswick Woollen Mills donates $25 for each of its CFA-approved personal protection blankets to the purchaser’s nominated volunteer fire brigade.
Mr Herszfeld also presented $1000 to Mr Smith.
The brigade will buy mobile phones for each of its four vehicles, which are without mobile communications.
CFA mandates that a Creswick Personal Protection blanket is carried for each crew member in all trucks.
Readers can visit www.creswickwool.com.au to buy a blanket or for more information.