Fire cops rewarded

By Tania Martin
POLICE across the region including Monbulk and Belgrave were last week rewarded for their hard work during the Black Saturday fires.
Monbulk’s Sergeant Alan Fincher and Senior Sgt Doug Berglund of Belgrave both saw first-hand the horror of the fires.
They told the Mail it was like “stepping into the middle of a war zone”.
The awards presented last Wednesday (5 August) recognised not only police who risked their lives on the frontline but those who stayed behind and kept station houses running, maintaining law and order.
Boronia, Knox, Mt Evelyn, and Olinda police stations were also recognised.
“It was just one of those situations where everyone pitched in and made it all work,” Sgt Fincher said.
Sgt Fincher and Sen Sgt Berglund both spent seven weeks in the fire ravaged region helping to maintain crime scene guards, working with the Traffic Management Unit and assisting at the marshalling point.
Sgt Fincher said traffic management was a vital part of the overall emergency management response for the recovery.
“We were also trying to keep people out of Marysville and in the recovery stage making sure all the essential services had access,” he said.
“It was an enormous task keeping people out who shouldn’t have been there and also helping residents to get back into their houses.”
Sgt Fincher said it was just as he thought things couldn’t get any worse, the fires at Birds Land Reserve at Upwey and Lysterfield Park were thrown into the mix.
He said it was also a miracle the hills didn’t go up in flames on Black Saturday following the Upper Ferntree Gully fires.
“It’s absolutely amazing that it didn’t get up into the hills.
“To jump on that and stop it getting up through the hills – Upwey, Tecoma, and Sassafras – was just amazing,” Sgt Fincher said.
Sen Sgt Berglund said the staff left behind at the station houses in the region had also done an amazing job at the Upwey fire.
“It was a similar operation to the one in the valley,” he said.
“We had to isolate the area so we could start the rehabilitation effort and investigate the cause.”
Sen Sgt Berglund confirmed the Birds Land Reserve fire had been started by a slasher.
The pair were also recognised last week for service to the force with Sgt Fincher receiving his 35-year service award and Sen Sgt Berglund his 30 year award.
Both joined the force in order to do worthwhile work.
Sgt Fincher and Sen Sgt Berglund also wanted to run their own country stations.
“Every day is different, some are better than others but you appreciate the good ones and survive the bad,” Sgt Fincher said.
Both worked through the Ash Wednesday and 1997 Ferny Creek fires but said Black Saturday was the worst disaster they had ever seen.
“Nothing would prepare you for what was up there,” Sgt Fincher said.
“It was like something out of a war zone.
“If dealing with the fires and multiple fatalities wasn’t enough, there were also fatal car accidents in the centre of town (Yarra Glen).”
“The embers were just raining down. It was unbelievable,” Sen Sgt Berglund said.