Supporting Sydney firefighters – one burger at a time!

Sydney’s sudden brutal snap of hot weather brought fires to the city’s western suburbs and the Rapid Relief Team volunteers were on the ground making sure local firefighters had the nourishment they needed to respond with gusto.

A team of 25 RRT volunteers from the Penrith region fed an estimated 140 firefighters who were keeping communities around Wallacia and Silverdale safe during fires on 19 and 20 September, 2023.

“An order to serve 140 hungry firefighters over two days with basically no notice is a tall one, but we’ve got the equipment and volunteers to do it and were happy to step up,” said Local Penrith RRT Team Leader, Brian Lee.

“Gone are the days of cold food and bad coffee in polystyrene cups. We make sure firies have top notch food so they have the energy they need to do the job we all need them to do.

“Our team of around 25 RRT volunteers were serving our signature burgers and prestige sausage rolls.

“Hopefully the cool change that has come through overnight will help the emergency responders get the situation under control, but if not, we can lend a hand again as needed.”

RRT is gearing up for a long summer of support for firefighters, with torrid bushfire conditions predicted this season.