Brendan Simpkins

DALKEITH Country Fire Service’s fundraising efforts have been boosted, thanks to a generous donation from a fellow community group.

On Monday night, members of the Angle Vale Lions Club presented the brigade with a cheque for $1000, which will go towards the purchase of a thermal imaging camera (TIC).

The brigade has been raising funds since the end of February, with a goal to raise $12,000.

Dalkeith’s current TIC is more than 12 years old and is a critical piece of firefighting infrastructure.

It is unable to be repaired due to its age and the unavailability of parts.

A TIC is used to find heat signatures in rooms and walls, determine the location of burning wires in appliances, to find occupants in a house fire and victims who have been ejected from a vehicle during accidents.

Lions Club president Frank O’Riley said the group was happy to give back for an institution that played a vital role in keeping the community safe.

“Of course, the CFS is an integral part of our community...so we were happy to help out,” he said.

“We have done a few things with CFS and we would like to do more, but this seemed like something we could contribute a reasonable sum.

“Their fundraising is moving along now and $1000 helps a lot.”

Fundraising is a key aspect of what Lions do, an aspect that is often forgotten about by the public.

Mr O’Riley said Angle Vale’s primary focus was to give back to local projects and community groups.

Following the handover of the cheque, Lions members were given a tour of the station by Captain Michael Mutch and also got to see first-hand how quickly the brigade responds to jobs with two vehicles dispatched to a nearby vehicle accident.

Dalkeith CFS has set up a gofundme.com page to help with their fundraising, while also holding barbeques.

At the time of publication, $1335 has been raised via the gofundme.com page.

For those interested in making a donation, head to (gofundme.com) and search for Dalkeith CFS.