Your neighbours. Your brigade.
We are local volunteers protecting the Ferguson Valley and the areas around it. There are two ways to get involved; pick the one that suits you.
There is a role here that fits your life
Volunteer bush fire brigades are formed by the community, for the community. Not everyone wants to be on the end of a hose — and the brigade could not function if they did. Tell us what you can offer and we will find the fit.
Active firefighting member
Training provided · no experience needed- Respond to bushfires and incidents in and around the Ferguson Valley
- Free accredited training in bushfire firefighting, first aid and safety
- All personal protective clothing and equipment supplied
- Assist with mitigation burns and hazard reduction work
Auxiliary member
Support the brigade without going to the fireground- Keep the brigade running behind the scenes
- No firefighting training or fitness requirement
- Fit it around work and family — hours are flexible
- Perfect if you want to contribute locally but can't drop everything for a callout
- Just as essential as the crew on the truck
Ways people help
Volunteers across WA
Bush fire brigade volunteers make up the overwhelming majority of WA's firefighting capability.
Experience required
Every skill we need is taught. What you bring is your willingness to turn up.
The missing piece
Every extra pair of hands widens what the brigade can cover on a bad day.
Ready to have a chat?
No commitment. Come and see the shed, meet a few of us, and ask whatever you want to ask.
Talk to the CaptainPreparing your property for the season
On a bad day the brigade cannot be everywhere at once. A prepared property can survive when no truck is available to defend it — and it gives us somewhere safe to work if we are. Here are the foundations. The full detail sits with DFES.
Start with these four
- Make an emergency plan Decide now whether you leave early or stay and defend — and know what triggers that decision. Build it on Emergency WA so it is on your phone.
- Create an Asset Protection Zone A low-fuel, defendable space at least three metres wide right around each building, clear of combustible items and obstructions.
- Prepare the building itself Clean gutters, screen vents, seal gaps under doors and decks, and move firewood, mulch and gas bottles away from walls. Embers, not flame, destroy most homes.
- Pack an emergency kit Documents, medications, water, torch, battery radio, protective clothing. Keep it somewhere everyone in the household knows.
Know your Fire Danger Rating
Ratings are issued daily and tell you what action to take before a fire starts. Check yours each morning during the season.
Check today's rating at emergency.wa.gov.au, updated daily through the season.
Managing vegetation
WA's Bush Fire Risk Treatment Standards set out what vegetation work you can do around buildings in bushfire prone areas without risking prosecution. Worth reading before you start clearing.
Pets and livestock
Moving animals early is the only reliable plan. Microchip or tag pets, keep stock registers current, and map your gates and water points so someone else could move stock for you.
Bushfire Ready groups
A community-led DFES program where neighbours in a street work through preparation together, supported by a trained facilitator and local brigade members.
Contact the DFES team → or 9395 9816
DFES is the authority — go there for the full detail
This page covers the foundations only. The complete, current guidance on emergency plans, kits, property preparation, vegetation and warnings is maintained by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services.
Read the DFES bushfire preparation guideAlso useful: the free Property Preparation Checklist and the Emergency WA planning tool.
Have us walk your property with you
Our Bushfire Prep Team will come out before the season, walk your block with you, and give practical advice on what to clear, what to fix and where your risks actually are. It takes about 45 minutes.
What the visit is
- Informal and free A cuppa and a walk around with local volunteers who know the valley.
- Practical We point at real things on your property — that woodpile, that gutter, that access track.
- A second set of eyes Risks you walk past every day are obvious to someone seeing it fresh.
- About access too We will tell you honestly whether a truck could get in and turn around.
What it is not
- Not an inspection We are not from the Shire, we are not enforcing anything, and nothing is reported.
- Not a fire break notice Compliance with your firebreak order is a separate matter for your local government.
- Not a guarantee Advice only. The decisions about your property remain yours.
Request a property visit
Send this through and someone from the Bushfire Prep Team will call you to arrange a time that suits.
Brigade contacts
For anything non-urgent. In an emergency, always call 000.
Email us at fergusonbfb@gmail.com, or join the conversation in our community Facebook group.