Dear Icebreaker Team
I’m a Kiwi, living in rural Victoria, Australia and I’m just sending a note of appreciation for your wonderful clothing.
You will no doubt be aware of the horrendous fires that engulfed large areas of Victoria back in February - I’m writing to tell you about the part that Icebreaker played in our own fire experience.
In February, two weeks after the events of ‘Black Saturday’, fires were still burning out of control across large areas of Victoria. Our part of Victoria -80kms northwest of Melbourne - was placed on high fire alert, with evacuation plans in place for all households. On the afternoon of 23rd February, one of the fires turned and headed for our property.
I’ve attached a photo taken from my phone of the fire just after it started - located about 45km West of us. With a gale force Westerly behind it the fire was travelling at extreme speeds. As you can see by the plume in the photo it wasn’t long before the fire had completely blocked out the sun and ash and charred debris were raining down around us. It was a very eerie feeling being in the heat and darkness at 4.00pm in the afternoon.
As the fire approached us, my husband and I put our evacuation plan into play. Paul readied our property for fire fighting by surrounding the house with hoses and sprinklers and starting up our emergency generator to run the water. I packed the car with our essential belongings and prepared to leave as soon as the fire threatened our escape routes. Our three children, Thomas 6, Amy 4 and Chloe 2, were readied for evacuation - and this is where Icebreaker played a part.
The Country Fire Authority (CFA) issues guidelines to the public on bushfire safety and survival. It states:
‘Remember, the deadly effects of radiant heat are increased by the amount of skin exposed to it. Cover exposed skin as much as possible with clothes made of natural fibres - not synthetic clothing. Put on natural fibre long pants and light long-sleeved wool jumpers or close weave cotton shirts or overalls.’
As all three of the children have Icebreaker garments, purchased on our trips home to NZ, I was able to comply with the CFA guidelines to the letter, with each child dressed in Icebreaker beanie, long sleeved jersey and socks. What a relief it was for me to open their wardrobe and grab their Icebreakers!
I’ve attached a couple of photos taken of the kids after I got them ready for the impending evacuation. As you can see, they thought it was all highly exciting - unlike their parents, who could see the very real prospect of fire devastating our family home. I took the pics on the spur of the moment as I found it a brief moment of light relief, to see that good old kiwi merino wool was playing a part in our Aussie fire drama.
The fire came within 8km of our house after a Southerly change came through and forced it to swing back across the parts of Victoria that it had just devastated. We spent the night in shifts, still on high alert, waiting to see if we would be told to evacuate.
When this particular fire burnt out, in excess of 3000 hectares was destroyed, and it had taken 400 firefighters, 100 tankers and 8 aircraft fire bombers to put it out. Very, very scary.
So cheers Icebreaker, we’ll be stocking up on our Icebreaker firefighting gear when home in July! I bet when you were designing Icebreaker clothing you weren’t thinking about its suitability for fighting Victorian bushfires!
- Megan, Victoria, Australia
