National Volunteer Week: Denmark volunteer firefighters raise money for injured colleagues with GoFundMe page

Denmark volunteer firefighters are preparing to welcome back a crew member who has been in hospital since he and another volunteer were badly injured in a truck rollover on Good Friday. The volunteer, who asked not to be named, was airlifted to Perth after their fighting appliance rolled on Muirs Highway as the crew was returning from a call to Rocky Gully on April 18. He is expected to be discharged from hospital later this week. A second firefighter who was also hurt is now back at work. As of Wednesday morning, a GoFundMe page had raised $6765 of its $8000 target to help the injured pair with the extra costs surrounding their treatment, including lost salaries and family visits to hospital in Perth. Denmark VFRS captain Darin Hockley said he felt humbled to see donations from other rural services including $500 from Coolgardie, $350 from Albany, $250 from Esperance and $200 apiece from Kambalda and Tom Price. “I have been in the service for 30 years and DFES has come on in leaps and bounds in that time as far as wellness is concerned,” he said. “The support is phenomenal, we know DFES has our backs. “But there are things they don’t cover which may not seem big but are important. “We can’t afford to throw away sick leave and holiday. “Kids still need to get to school, and partners and family still have bills to pay. “To get support from other services is phenomenal.” Capt. Hockley said the severely injured colleague would receive a heartfelt welcome back to the fold. “He has a long road ahead with physiotherapy, so it’ll probably be something simple like, ‘welcome back, you’ve had a rough time’ and doing something simple like sending him out for dinner with family,” he said. He and his crew have learned from the unfortunate Easter drama. “My takeaway from the accident is that I’m incredibly proud of my members because we don’t think anything like that will happen to us, and then it did,” Capt. Hockley said. “The crew were on autopilot — they knew what they had to do, and they did it. “They got him off in the ambulance and then it hit them. “We have all been affected by it, but I am so proud of the way we have stuck together as a team.” The Department of Fire and Emergency Services said volunteers from Denmark Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service were first on the scene with Mount Barker Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service and St John WA also responding. “The actions of the first responders on scene, including the two volunteer firefighters in the appliance, were heroic and a testament to their skills and professionalism,” a DFES spokesperson said. “Volunteers in regional areas are the backbone of emergency services, performing an exceptionally challenging role which is compounded when responding to incidents involving their loved ones and people in their own community.” The GoFundMe page is at https://www.gofundme.com/f/standing-with-our-vfrs-brigade-to-support-welfare-recovery.