PRESS RELEASE: WILDLIFE SPONSORS DELIVER IN THE FIGHT AGAINST BUSHFIRES

SAVING AUSSIE WILDLIFE ONE FFS (FIRE FIGHTING SHUTTLE) AT A TIME

Since the beginning of the bushfires in 2019, the Animal Rescue Cooperative (ARC) has been working tirelessly to provide supplies, food, funding & support for wildlife rescues impacted by the fires. During this time, over $2m was donated by supporters, and 95% of this has already been spent on support and resources across Australia. No delays, spending started day one.

In the recent fires, many shelters and rescuers were flattened, rescuers barely escaped whilst entire ecosystems of native animals were incinerated. Many rescuers lacked any basic spot and heat fire support. So ARC plan of giving it to them.

Part of the ARC’s plan to support wildlife rescues in the future is the implementation of 100 Fire Fighting Shuttles (FFS). The ARC has already purchased 20 of these units, and they are being deployed throughout the country to aid in fire safety and management. The FFS has the ability to slow-down bushfires, protect property, and limit the detrimental effects of a bushfire.

As Sally added, “What we need is sponsors to back these one at a time. Each is about $5k. We have bought as many as we can, but funds are finite. We want to put hundreds of these out there. Every person who sponsors half or a full trailer gets to name them after themselves, work or a friend.”

Big Nick’s Firefighting Trailers and Sleds approached the ARC with a unique design idea, the FFS. These have been chosen by the ARC due to their low cost (at around $5000 per unit), ease of use, and easily sourced parts. They also have a large 1000L water tank and standard trailer. The pumps are powerful, throwing out 6.5HP of pumping power and, on full power, will empty the water tank in around 10 minutes.

On a lower setting, a full tank of fuel is enough to power the tank for a whole day. However, when needed, the fuel tank is easy to refill, ensuring wildlife rescuers have one less thing to worry about in an emergency situation. The trailers are also multipurpose and can be used for management of heat events, and for carting large amounts of water in droughts and the off-season.

This is a no-mess solution that was specifically designed with the idea of aiding wildlife rescues. For many, a solution such as this may give rescuers the ability to save the lives of the wildlife they care for, and can be a key factor in ensuring the continuation of a rescue operation.

One of the key ARC leaders, Sally Bourke commented, “We wanted the public to see that it is not all doom and gloom in donating, there are many large charities that are getting the money out as fast as it comes in and on innovative projects that matter.”
The team at the ARC is working tirelessly to ensure that wildlife rescues are prepared for next fire season, with rigorous plans in place to ensure that rescues have the necessary resources.

“We need to act fast. Summer is less than 5 months away. We need to help get fire and heat event equipment out there for Wildlife Rescuers,” said Sally.
The ARC has already had the awesome team at “Everyone Who Knows Everyone” fund a trailer, giving them the ability to name it after their organisation. The ARC has since received other donations, but still need more funding to provide this amazing resource to many more rescue organisations.

Funding a trailer for $5000 gives you the ability to name the trailer. Name it after a friend, a workplace, a partner, or a pet. If you are so inclined you could name the trailer “Fiery McFireface”.

This is a very low-cost and accessible solution for wildlife rescues, and the ARC wants to provide as many of these as possible, but we need the support of the public and the community to fund this.

Thank you to Alli Cairns, Nick Graham, Sally Bourke and the rest of the amazing team at the ARC for their work to providing these awesome trailers to rescues throughout Australia, and a big thank you to Big Nicks Firefighting Trailers and Sleds for their ingenuity to come up with a design that can help so many people and animals.

Thank you, once again, for your support of the ARC, and to the partners and support groups such as WIRES, Petbarn and NWC.
To donate to the ARC and assist in funding these life-saving trailers, go to https://mkc.org.au/donations/firetrailers